As the leaves turn
by RollieMcFly27
Summary: Fall is coming and Chica has arrived to college in an area that will be her new home. While teachers and work pull her around, a certain Fox catches her eye. He's not like anyone she's ever seen, he's dark, mysterious and charming. As the cold wind blows, love and affection starts to form. She knows she shouldn't love someone who could mean trouble, but why is she in love? (Foxica)
1. Chapter 1

Hey there, everyone! RM27 is back with another story.

I know you all waited for this, so I'll make it short.

This is an official "sequel that is also a prequel" story. I have asked every single fan that I could reach with the help of a special friend.

Thank you, MockingBirdy, for keeping me connected with the fans.  
Their numbers grow with each passing day, so it's difficult to stay connected with them.

Most wanted a sequel, but others wanted a prequel.  
So, it came down to the final decision.

A prequel, so most of you can know the backstory of all the characters and get a better understanding of the OTHER story before Bonnie walked in.

And for those of you who are confused to what prequel this is for, go and read "Love that never melts away", you'll be glad you did.  
I will write the sequel as well, so, don't worry.

Also, this centers on Foxy and Chica's story. I dedicate this Foxica story to a great friend and successful writer of "A Broken Fox" and it's sequel "A broken family".

FrostedFleisch, this is for you!

Enough talk, let's just get on with it already!  
ONWARD!  
-RollieMcFly27

* * *

"Mmm... it's the perfect day..."

Those words hung in the crisp, clear air before fading away with the wind.

Where those words came from, no one really knew.  
Not that there weren't anyone nearby.

No one, but one person.

Close by, on a hill, not too far. There was a chick, whose feathers shone with the sun's glorious light.

Chica smelled the evening air, lying back in the soft bright green grass under her favorite oak tree on top of the hill.  
Even with her eyes closed, she could tell the scene outside was beautiful.

She sighed, opening her eyes.  
The entire beautiful view of the meadow was something that couldn't be painted onto a canvas, nor could someone completely discribe it.

The sun setting at just the perfect spot, making a radiant glow across the land and beyond.  
A smile creeped up on her face the more she gazed. She laughed, watching the soft clouds and leaves fly lazily by.

Birds chirped their songs and flew across the air, adding more to the scenery.  
The wind blew through her feathers smoothly while the sun made her yellow-gold color glow.

This was where Chica lived.

Or close by to where her home was, this beautiful scene was Chica's secret spot where she came out here to think and have some time to herself.  
Chica had done this many times throughout her young life, starting from when her father left to thinking about her date to prom.

But, looking back, all those previous problems seemed so small and simple compared to what she came out to think about on this particular day.

She came out to think about college and her plans for the future.

Her Mom never had a chance to go to college herself before she was married and pregnant with her first child, which was Chica.  
So, she told her she had to go to college to have a life beyond their farm.

And that their family could, somewhat, make a name for themselves.  
Chica understood her Mom's argument and knew she was right.

She was to leave tomorrow morning, before sunrise.  
Something within Chica ached and she knew exactly what it was.

She would miss this place, her home and this beautiful meadow.  
But, most importantly, she would miss her family.

Starting with her grandmother, who always loved having the family together.  
Along with her little sister, then her Mother.

Chica let out a sigh, before pulling out of her shirt, a golden necklace carved into the shape of a heart.  
She opened it, to reveal two pictures. One was of her Mother and the other...

Was of her father.

Her Dad had died before Chica turned 5, forced to leave off to war.  
He died in honor in the front lines, taking one for the team when they were ambushed.

She still remembered that painful day clearly... some uniformed officers came to their door to deliver the horrible news.  
Even while grieving, her Mom remained strong and tried to raise both daughters on her own, which she did with a smile and a hug.

Chica missed her father dearly, but despite that, she knew he would have wanted this for her.

She sighed, shaking off her troubles and tried to enjoy the view while she still could.  
The place where she was headed probably didn't have a gorgeous scene like this.

The trees were turning from a dark summer green to a warm autumn brown and orange.  
Fall was coming and while she wasn't really used to cold weather, she liked all seasons the same.

A cool wind breezed through, ruffling her feathers.

She closed her eyes and listened carefully to the sounds of the world.  
Feeling the wind blow on her face was almost magical.

She told herself to pay close attention in hopes of keeping a memory of home while she was away.

Wind howling...

Leaves from the trees rustled...

Cicadas rang their call...

Birds chirped...

... beeping?

Chica opened her eyes and looked around.  
For a second there, she could have sworn she heard something...

There it was again...  
Beeping, only louder than before.

She raised her eyebrows as she got up from her spot and looked around.  
The scene stayed the same, but the noise continued.

Chica raised a hand to her forehead, blocking out the sun so she could she further.  
More beeping, only, this time it sounded like it was nearby.

Now, she was starting to get annoyed.  
Groaning out of frustration, she started speed-walking around the big tree to locate the source of the noise.

It still persisted, growing more loud with each beep.

Soon, all her anger faded. The beep grew so loud, it didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular.  
Then, everything started to fade to black before Chica realized what was going on.

* * *

Her eyes slowly opened, looking at an alarm clock that continued to make the terrible noise.  
Chica groaned as she lifted her, seemingly, heavy arm and stopped it.

Glad that the digital alarm's sound stopped, she turned to lie on her back, looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling.

"Strange... was that a... dream?" She pondered, wondering what she had actually witnessed.

Confused, she sat up and looked around her.  
It was a simple room, all the walls were painted a dull white, there was only one bed that she was currently resting in, one couch with a coffee table to match and a bathroom.

The room was dark, due to the curtains being closed.  
But, the edges of the curtains were bright, giving off a blue hue to show that there was light outside.

Of course...

She remembered making the 7 hour long trip and she was so exhausted, her luggage was still at the door.  
They would have to be unpacked later today, she told herself.

Chica stretched out her arms to the sky as far out as she could, yawning loudly.  
She scooted over off her bed and turned the curtain to the side so she could see outside the window, temporarily blinded by the unexpected brightness, she yelped in surprise and raised an arm in defense.

Once her eyes were adjusted, she took the chance to see out the window.

What she saw amazed her.

It was a beautiful campus, the grass was beautifully taken care off and the trees brimmed with life.  
From below, there were several students walking the many paths towards their classes.

The sky was a radiant bright blue with faded clouds soaring overhead.  
For a moment, Chica didn't recognize were she was until it hit her...

College.

Slapping her hand to her forehead, Chica laughed.  
She had completely forgotten, considering last night's trip.

She passed out on the bed and...  
Everything dropped. Her heart skipped a beat as a thought had occurred to her...

How long was she asleep?

One glance at the alarm clock was all that it took for Chica to go from neutral to terrified in record time.

* * *

She hurried to change, forcing spare clothes out of her suitcase and put them on.  
Choosing a red and white striped shirt, she buttoned it over her night shirt.  
Pulling out some denim pants, she managed to rip a part of the right leg.

"I don't have time for this!" She yelled, not caring about the rip.  
It was only baring her knee, Thank, Scott...

While she was hurriedly putting on some sneakers, she grunted, trying to fix everything at once.

Why today of all days to be late for her first day at College?

Chica groaned loudly as she looked through the mirror and tried to fix her bed feathers.  
Some of those feathers actually resisted and made her consider going to class looking like she was just in a tornado.

No time for make-up, not that she ever used any back at home.  
She straightened out her clothes the best she could and grabbed her books.

With all of her required things, she ran out the door with a breakfast muffin that was a gift from her Mother and made sure to lock the door behind her.  
She ran across the hall towards the doors, wide-eyed and frantic.

Chica struggled to hold her books and bag, tried to check her schedule for today, all while trying to run.  
Her first class was to start at 9:00 sharp, which was to start in 2 minutes.

"Damn it!" She cursed and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Why, why, why today of all days to be late for class?!

She didn't normally sleep this late, since she had always woken up early to check on the horses and other animals back at home.  
Maybe it was because she wasn't used to sleeping in what was to be her new room for the next semester.

Or was it because of the long trip she made?

She bared her teeth, mad as ever, pushing out every single thought and focused on making to class.  
It didn't matter, she was getting more late by the second.

* * *

She had to keep checking her schedule and her campus map to make sure she didn't get lost.

Chica took a few wrong turns and ran into some dead ends, which only fueled her frustration.  
She ran past some people, all of them wondered curiously about her rush.

Bumping into a few, she apologized and continued running.

Then, it came in view.

Room 78, her first class.

She slowed down for the first time since getting out of her dorm, trying to catch her breath and straightening out any wrinkles she might have gotten on her clothes during her "Sprint".

"Okay... okay..." She attempted to calm herself down, racking her mind to come up with a perfect excuse for being late.  
Her heart was pounding so harshly, she couldn't think of any.

Excuse or not, her teacher wouldn't be happy about this.

She stopped right in front of the door and looked through the small window.  
It was one of the largest rooms she had ever seen... and so many people...

Chica softly gasped as she nervously held a breath and she looked in awe.  
So many people of different colors and sizes... different species and, possibly, personalities.

Stepping away from the door, she allowed herself a breather.

How would she deal with this?

Chica had absolutely no idea how her Professor would react, but it was all leaning on "Not good."  
A plan formulated in her terrified mind.

She looked back into the window and scanned the entire area of students until she had found an empty spot.  
"Okay... this should be easy..." She told herself.

Looking at the Professor, she decided it would be best if she went in unnoticed.  
Once the Professor began to write on the oversized chalkboard in front of him, Chica took her chance.

She opened the door, silently praying that the professor wouldn't notice her entrance.  
A few heads looked her way, all wearing an expression of curiosity.

Chica silently tip-toed over to her seat, trying to make her way while the Professor had his back turned.

Some of the other students gave her strange looks, wondering about who she was and if she was part of this class.  
She ignored all of them and stayed clear to the task at hand.

"Come on... just a few more..." Chica whispered, going a tad faster to reach her seat in time before...

"Ah! Miss Chica Dee Chicken..." A voice roared from across the room.

She cringed, hearing her full name.  
Quickly shutting her eyes tightly to try to make this nightmare go away.

This just had to be another dream.

It looked like the odds weren't in her favor today.

"How nice of you to join us..." The voice continued, sounding like it had the upper hand.

Chica didn't have to turn around to see whose voice that belonged to.  
She felt a hundred eyes looking her way, even a few chuckles.

But, she did eventually turn, wearing an awkward smile as she did.  
"Um..." She chuckled nervously, trying not to look bad.

"You're late..." His facial features hardened, all formed to show he wasn't amused.

"Usually, I would have to bring this issue to the higher-ups of this campus, for I do not tolerate tardiness."  
The professor crossed his arms and tapped his foot, waiting for an explanation.

This guy wasn't fooling around.

She held her hands together, holding her purse and books, lowering her head in shame.  
"I'm... I'm s-so..." Chica attempted to say, but she was so embarrassed, the words just wouldn't come out.

"However... since this is your first day in college, in a completely new area. I will keep this little slip a secret." The Professor's face softened, he smiled warmly.

Chica looked up, confused. Her eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

She was not expecting this act of kindness to be shown.

He had made it so clear that he was not to be crossed or there would be consequences.  
"Um... Th-... Okay..." She mustered out, noticing some of her classmates were whispering to each other, most likely, about her.

"But, as before, I do not tolerate tardiness. This will leave a mark on your record, Miss Chica Dee Chicken. I trust you will not do this again." The Professor's serious look and tone returned.  
What happened?

Oh, Scott... he said her full name again... it was starting to get on her nerves.  
"Y-Yes, Professor..." She lowered her head once more in shame.

"Good. Now, head to your seat and pay attention." He turned back to the board and continued to write down some things Chica couldn't recognize.

She nodded and slowly went to her seat.

Chica wanted to die, instantly go back home and forget any of this ever happened.  
Her eyes were kept tightly shut, she buried her head in her arms.

She feared what would happen if she looked up.

Chica made a horrible first impression in front of the professor... possibly even the entire campus.

This was not her plan... not that she had one.  
Taking a deep breath, she calmed down, hoping to get this day over with.

Hopefully, without anymore trouble.

As soon as she could clear her flustered cheeks and rapid heart.

* * *

He watched her from afar.

His ears flickered in interest.

His golden eyes carefully examined this new student completely.

He scratched his velvet-brown fur, wondering about her.

This particular male student's name was Foxy.

And... that was all he let the teachers and professors know.  
They had insisted that he should have more than one name, but he just walked out of there with the one name and nothing more.

All he was, was a sophomore.  
And he recognized this person to be a freshman, or freshwoman in this case, if such a word even existed.

He raised an eyebrow as he watched the new girl come in and manage to make herself look like the biggest fool to step foot in this forsaken college.

Others giggled while some whispered possibly jokes and mean nicknames.

But, he stayed silent, watching her take her seat.  
She didn't dare move after that, and he knew she shouldn't.

Once everyone placed their attention back to the lesson at hand, Foxy decided the girl wasn't worth his trouble.

Continuing his usual stance, he raised his feet on the back of the seat in front of him and closed his eyes.  
He knew the professors and teachers wouldn't mind if he slept...

And if they did, it didn't matter to him.

* * *

Who was this guy?

Well... his name was just... "Foxy."

And that was it.

He had lived a rough life for a person of his appearance and age.

Foxy never cared what people said to him, unless it didn't have anything to do with his rude attitude and behaviour.  
That, he knew all too well.

His parents were taken away before he could remember them.  
Instead, he grew up under the care of foster homes.

But, with each home, while each family welcomed him dearly he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that he wasn't welcome in that home.  
He was a boy with no parents and that was all he would ever be.

Foxy would get sent back to the program because he got in trouble for certain reasons.  
Most involving the local police.

Nothing too serious.  
Just some acts of vandalism and a few small robberies. Foxy wasn't a criminal, just a delinquent.

His older sister, Mangline, would watch him leave and come back.  
She was also affected by the loss of her parents, but she was given different parents.

Unlike Foxy, she tried to be as good as she could be.  
But, that was hard with an step-sister that treated her like garbage one day, and showed her the popular girl life the next.

When she made it to High School, she tried her hand at some jobs, most of them weren't exactly pretty.

Eventually, she made it through 2 years at college and got a promising job, taking the now 16 year old Foxy under her care.

Promising him, no more foster homes or unknown families.  
Just the two of them, brother and sister against the world.

But, even so, Foxy couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing from his life.  
Always feeling some empty hole in his soul that just wouldn't go away.

Even today, he could feel it.

And, with it... it just didn't matter what anyone else thought of him.

Nor did he care that he was the campus' biggest crush.  
Every single student that was a female had some affection for him, one way or another.

He could've sworn, even one of the teachers had affection for him as well.

But, as mentioned earlier... he didn't care.  
They could treat him like an outcast and he wouldn't be any different.

Yet, Foxy couldn't help, but thinking that it would be better if they did treat him like a unwanted person he was all his life.

"Dream on..." He whispered to himself, closing his eyes once more and trying to sleep.

He sighed and relaxed his head back some more.

Today was going to be a long day and he didn't want to miss it.

"Yippee... college..." He whispered.

With that, he silently went to sleep...

* * *

After class, Chica waited until enough people left so she could leave in peace.

She blushed, thinking about the incident from earlier, arching her eyebrows and gritting her teeth in frustration.  
How could she let something like that happen?

Gathering her books and bag, she tried to pinpoint the reason she had arrived to class late.

She woke up late... because of the late-night trip... her family had a huge breakfast farewell, so she didn't leave until around 1:34.

Then, it dawned on her. Chica placed her hands over her eyes in shame, cringing at the horrible truth.

It was because she had waited until the last minute to register for the Autumn semester.  
She had put it off, considering working at the farm for the most part of her life.

Chica knew her way around, she knew how to feed all the animals, take care of their garden and she even knew how to make more money out of it.  
Not liking the idea, her Mother had tried convincing her, then her sister tried as well.

But, in the end run, it was her grandmother who had finally convinced her.  
Telling her the story of her grandpa and his hard life. Starting from a very young age, he worked himself to his grave.

He had no regrets, but one. That he didn't pursue a better life for them all.

None of what Chica had heard sounded pleasant. So, she settled on college, even though it was far from home.

Thinking about her grandma made her feel better and kept her mind off of the morning.  
She hurried out the door, trying not to meet the professor's cold stare.

* * *

It wasn't long before Chica reached for her schedule before she heard snickers and whispers from other people.  
Some pointed at her and giggled to their friends.

She tried her hardest to ignore them and walk on forward.

But, before she could get any further, a hand was placed on her left shoulder.  
She stopped, closing her eyes and lowering her head, afraid of who wanted to speak with her.

It could be one of the students, wanting to make fun of her for being late.

Then, there was the chance it was the professor, going to embarrass her in front of others again.

"Hey, you're a freshman, right?" The person said, their voice sounded feminine.

Chica braced for the abuse that was to come, turning around, she face them.

The woman had a extremely pale face, with red blush applied to the cheeks and ruby red lipstick.  
She wore long, striped socks on her legs, black jeans and a black sweater with white buttons and striped cuffs to match the socks.  
This woman also had a striking, distinct figure most would kill for.

"Y-Yes..." Chica managed.

"I could tell... it takes a lot to disappoint a professor like you did back there." She chuckled, smiling warmly.

"Um..." Chica looked away, embarrassed at the mention of that...

"Hey, don't worry about it... we all make mistakes sometimes. Your name's Chica, right?" The stranger inquired, crossing her arms and holding her books to her chest. Her warm smile never leaving her face.

The person looked kind and caring, so Chica decided to relax a little.

"Yeah..." For the first time since that morning, she smiled.

"It's not that bad of a name. Sounds pretty cute, actually."

"Th-Thanks... What's your name?"

The stranger breathed in before speaking.  
"My name's Marion E Puppit, I'm a Sophomore. But, Marion's fine. Not like I'll be calling you 'Chica Dee Chicken' all the time." Marion laughed.

Chica didn't know why, but she broke into a fit of giggles.  
It was during that time, she didn't realize it before, that she felt something warm grow inside her.

She had made a new friend.

Marion began to tell her about herself as they both walked to their next classes.  
Chica listened as well as she could, hanging onto her every word.  
She smiled, knowing she had at least accomplished something worthwhile.

Maybe college wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

I'm going to cut it right here for two reasons.

1: I need to gather story ideas. I ran this one blind. But, I have some BIG ideas for later chapters.  
While I'm in this condition of helplessness and despair, I'm going to need your help!

Yes, you! Reading these little digital pixels right now.

I'm going to need some help with this story.  
If you have some idea or some material you'd like to see come out, you can leave a review or message me.

All reviews and ideas are welcome.  
If you leave an idea, I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

And, 2: ... I really don't have a 2...

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this small start to what could be a big story.  
I hope you see you all again!

If you're here because of this prequel's original story, then...  
Welcome back! I hope you'll be comfortable with this story as you were the last one.

Let me know if you need anything or if you have any questions at all. That goes for all of you.  
I'm always ready to answer anything you have for me.

Before I forget, I can also take some criticism.  
If you see something wrong with this story, let me know.

Like before, don't hold back. I want the truth, even if it hurts.

Well, I should cut off now.

Thank you all so much for reading!  
Be sure to check out the other stories if you haven't already. I can tell this one's going to be a while to update.

And, as always...  
I'll see you guys in the next chapter!  
Later!  
-RollieMcFly27

I'm back...

I'M BACK! HA HA! MUAHAHAHAHA!


	2. Chapter 2

Back and back again, is RM27.

So sorry for the wait, everyone. I ended up getting ambushed by Writer's block in the worst possible moment.

Right after the first chapter was posted, I couldn't bring myself to write anymore.  
Even right now, it's difficult.

But, I'm going to keep trying. I still have a story to write down.

And, hopefully, you all will enjoy it until the very end of it all.  
Or until I get a deal with some movie company... like that'll ever happen.

Anyway, I'm droning on. Let's get going.

Onward!  
-RollieMcFly27

* * *

So... many... choices...

"Uh... um... I, uh...gee, that's a lot of... coffee... choices..." Chica barely mustered as she felt intimidated by the menu.

"I guess I should have told you beforehand." Marion replied, smiling nervously.  
They were standing in a small coffee shop called "StarBoys", where Chica stood and pondered about what she should drink.

"Um... Miss? Do you mind making a decision?" The cashier asked, looking like he had better things to do.

"Um... It'll take a second, really!" Chica replied, almost like she had to choose between life or death.

The cashier sighed and rested his head in his hands, clearly frustrated.

But, Chica couldn't really choose... so many choices and she didn't know which one she would regret or which one she would enjoy.  
From there, Marion didn't see any point in letting this go on.

"She'll have what I'm having" She finally spoke up.

"Huh?" Chica was quick to react, looking at her new friend with wide eyes.

"Finally!" The cashier nearly yelled, throwing his hands up into the air before typing out a few numbers and other symbols on the register. "So, two Golden Coast Blends?"

Marion nodded in response.  
"Are you sure?" Chica asked, unsure about this.

"Yeah. Don't worry, it's a really good coffee. My favorite." She replied and assured Chica that it was okay.

After giving the man both of their names, they went and sat down nearby.  
"Okay. So, we just wait until he calls our names." Marion instructed.

Chica wasn't sure she was familiar with this... name-calling?  
"Wait... they're going to call our names?"

"Yes. They do that here, you could even give a fake name or a made-up name, it doesn't matter"

"Oh, that's cool!" Chica giggled, liking this tradition.  
She decided to use a fake name next time she came.

"I guess" Marion sighed, looking away at the window, seemingly lost in thought.

There they sat for a while, one waiting for the coffee to arrive and the other trying to come up with a good conversation starter.  
Unfortunately, the pondering one, Chica, was having no luck.

She looked over at Marion, who seemed to be in her own little world, looking a little like she was... sad?  
Chica couldn't decide whether to leave her alone or try to strike up some small talk.

But, her gut feeling told her to try something, anything.

"So... do you come here a lot?" She tried Chica, trying her best not to look awkward.

Marion turned her head to face Chica, looking almost surprised.

"Huh? Oh, not that often. I come here once in a while." She replied, smiling.  
Marion turned her head back to the window, not adding anymore to that.

Chica felt disappointed that it ended so quickly.

"Probably not much of a conversationalist..." She thought.

* * *

"Marion and Chica!" A voice later called out.

"That's us!" Marion quickly said.  
Chica watched as the slim, dark woman rose from her chair and made her way towards the front.

After an exchange of gratitude and a smile with the cashier, she came back.

"Here you go! One Golden Coast blend coming your way!" Marion gave the hot, steaming cup of coffee cheerfully to Chica.

"Aww, thanks, Marion!" Chica smiled warmly, thankful for this... whatever this Golden Coast blend was going to be.

"It's nothing. Since you're new here, I might as well help you out, you know?" Marion replied.  
She took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes, enjoying the tasteful delight.

While Chica, however, looked at her cup like it was an alien artifact.

She had tried coffee before on a few occasions back at home when she went on errands to town.

Home... memories of the town came flooding through her mind.  
But, to one person in particular who worked at a cafe there.

There was a good friend of Chica's father, whom everyone called "Mr. Endo" for one obvious reason.

Being the only survivor of the cold war that took her father's life, he might have kept himself alive, but he couldn't keep them from taking everything else.

The man looked like a walking skeleton.  
Some years of harsh torture and very limited, if not none, food changed his outer appearance.  
When he came back, no one recognized him.

No one... but Chica.

Of course, she couldn't quite remember his real name and neither did he.  
That's what war does to people like him.

The closest thing they had to what he looked like before was an old photo that Chica's mother found in the attic.

A faded old photo of two boys with arms over each other, sporting very bright, toothy grins of youth and innocence  
Her Dad and Mr. Endo were childhood friends.

And because she was the daughter of his late lifelong friend, he treated her like the niece he never had.

Every single time she went into town, she would stop by the small diner he worked at.  
Where he could always hook her up with some free coffee, and if Chica was lucky enough, possibly even a full breakfast.

Sometimes, when the diner was quiet and not a soul was in sight, He would tell Chica marvelous stories about her Dad when he was a young boy.

She would laugh when he told her about their MANY failed plans and shenanigans, learn all the things about her father that no one, but he, knew.  
The old veteran may have had his whole life taken away from him...

But, so long as Chica was still around, his own sole link to his past, he was content.

Chica wasn't sure if Mr. Endo knew, but the old man was the closest thing to a father for her.  
Even if he looked better off than alive, she loved him like family, no matter what.

And he always would be a part of her.

* * *

"... what are you thinking so hard about?"

A voice interrupted Chica's memory slideshow, next second, she snapped back to reality.

"Huh?" She looked around, dazed.

"Are you going to drink your coffee? It's getting cold and no one really likes cold coffee... Believe me, I know." Marion studied Chica.  
She looked like she was remembering something...

Marion didn't know what was going through the chicken's mind, but it wasn't her place to try and get into someone else's life.

"S-Sorry! I was just... thinking about home. Remembering a few things." Chica replied, and without thinking, she took a sip of the coffee.

It was so hot, she almost spit it out.  
But, quickly recovered herself and tried some more of it.

"Well? How is it?" Marion leaned forward with eager eyes and waited for the chicken's reaction.

Chica couldn't exactly describe how it tasted.  
No, it tasted good.  
It was just that she couldn't exactly explain it's flavor, not being much of a coffee person.

"It's great!" Chica replied, making sure not to seem negative towards it as to not offend the woman in front of her.

"That's good! It's my favorite coffee blend. I get it every time I come here." Marion smiled, taking another sip of her own.  
Unbeknownst to her, Chica decided to try something else next time she came here.

Maybe she'd take a menu later and she what they had...

* * *

There was an announcement about an assembly happening later that same day, everyone in the entire campus was ordered to be there.  
From the Janitor to the Vice administrator and the students.

Once they heard, Chica and Marion made their way over there, almost jogging, to make sure they weren't late.

"Wait, Marion!" Chica called out to Marion, who was a few feet ahead of her.

On command, the dark woman slowed down and looked back, but didn't stop walking.  
"Yes?" She answered.

"What's this whole assembly about?" Chica almost caught up, but still trying to keep up.

"Well, they don't actually start classes on the first day. The first day is the day everyone has to get settled in to their dorms and get familiar with their classes and teachers." The woman explained, somehow with one breath.

"Oh." Chica replied.

She, then, pondered on what she heard.  
If that was true, then she wasn't late for class earlier today!

Rather, she was late to... something...  
At the moment, it didn't matter to Chica.

She didn't want to remember the humiliation that transpired just several hours ago.

Rather, she just shook it off and focused on keeping her friend in her sight.

* * *

Eventually, they made it to the large building that housed about a hundred rows of seats and a stage, which Chica guessed was where they were going to announce their news and other things.

There was also a lot of students that noticed their entrance.

Mostly Chica's entrance.

Some chuckled and others pointed and called out.

"Hey! It's Chica-tastrophe!"  
"Whoa, that's the chick?"  
"Yeah, man! The one who showed off to the professor this morning!"  
"That girl?"  
"Yowsa!"

Chica immediately blushed and looked away in shame.  
Nope... looks like she wasn't ever going to forget it.

The professor was right... one slip wasn't going to be forgotten easily.

"... come on, there's a couple of open seats up there." Marion said, looking back at Chica.

Yes, she knew what was going on and she didn't like the way they were treating the poor girl.  
But, Marion had to keep her going.

"... Can I just... go back to my dorm...?" Chica replied quietly, almost on the binge of tears.  
She had enough of the humiliation, now she just wanted to be left alone.

Something rose within Marion, she couldn't exactly explain what, but something told her to help her friend.

"Not today, young lady." She suddenly said, making Chica open her eyes and look up.

The dark woman made her way to the stage amidst of the chaos and cleared her throat before speaking to make sure eyes were on her.  
"May I have everyone's attention please!"

All the students, save for a few rowdy ones still in fits of giggles, stopped to hear what she had to say.  
Some were confused and wondered why she was up on the stage.

"Okay. I know what happened this morning was... comical for most of you." Marion put her hands together to make her point.

"Yeah! More like totally hilarious!" One male student cried out.

"That's the Clumsy chick for you!" Another called out.

And right after, the whole chaos started again, with almost everyone talking at once.  
Laughing and more joking was thrown around carelessly.

Chica looked down and started to slowly walk towards the door.  
It was hopeless...

Marion took notice of this and knew she had to do something before Chica lost her self-confidence and was kicked out of college for not attending the assembly that was to start in a few minutes.

"Everyone! Please quiet down! I'm not finished!" Marion tried to gather everyone's attention once more.

But, it was in vain.

Everyone kept to their own self. A few students got their cellphones out and started doing whatever they did and some began talking to each other, all while they still joked on "Chica-tastrophe"

Anger boiled within her, she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.  
She was never one to get so angry before...

And before she knew it...

"SILENCE!" Marion yelled out, holding up her arms.

Everyone obeyed, even the rowdy ones...

Chica stopped and looked back at Marion.  
The aura of fear and surprise filled the air, no one knew what to do or if they should do anything, lest they defy her in a way.

"... okay, good." Marion continued.

Clapping her hands together once more, she spoke in a more stern and authoritative tone to assure that she had everyone's attention this time.  
"I know you guys love to laugh, but look at what this is doing to the girl!"

Marion quickly pointed at Chica, whose eyes widened in surprise.

Some people murmured in realization.

"Everyone, you need to understand that she had feelings just like you do. She barely came here from another state, for the love of Scott! We should be making her feel more welcome here, not the other way around!"

More murmuring, this time, a mixture of regret and agreement.

"So, I want to ask you all a favor, not as another student, but as a friend to this girl." Marion motioned for Chica to join her up on the small stage.

Chica hesitated and looked around.  
All eyes were on her.

What would she do...?  
What should she do?

Then, Chica cleared her throat and made her way up on stage next to Marion, who wrapped an arm around the chicken's shoulders.

"This girl is a friend of mine. Her name is Chica, as most of you might know. So, come on, everyone. Let's greet and give her a big welcome!"

With that, she took a step back and started clapping.

For a while, she was the only one clapping... it seemed almost embarrassing.

Then one kind soul joined in.  
And before anyone knew it... everyone joined in one-by-one.

The applaud grew louder and more tremendous.  
Some students called out their welcome and whistled and cheered on.

Chica couldn't believe what was going on.  
She looked at the applauding audience with awe.

Soon, she began clapping along with everyone else.

That was the scene that transpired when the Administration, teachers and professors finally walked in, wearing confused looks on their faces.

* * *

It took a while for a few students to explain to the administration about what was going on.  
They decided to let that slide this one time.

But, secretly made plans to hold a meeting about avoiding having the students be alone without a single one of the college education board present.

However, they were somewhat amazed at how Marion handled the situation so smoothly, wondering how she kept a riot from going on.

The assembly went on as planned, starting with the administration board apologizing for arriving late.  
Upon saying "late", the door opened, revealing a crimson red fox.

Silence fell on the room.

Everyone, even the board, stared as he went to a empty seat without so much as saying a word.

Some waited for the administration to say something about this, but to their surprise, they didn't say much more than...  
"Well... at least everyone is here now."

This had been a strange day for those who were going for a second year or more, as this sort of thing didn't happen the year before.

Most were assigned to the classes they chose and those that decided to think about the classes they wanted to choose, were given the chance to learn about each one and decide.

Marion and Chica ended up deciding on one class which was at the same time.  
Accident or not, neither one minded, as long as they could stick together.

But, since it was only that one class, they left it at that.

All the while, Chica noticed the red fox that had arrived late.  
She was pretty sure she had seen him earlier today.

He looked... rugged and nonchalant, almost like a delinquent or some thug.

But, Chica believed there was some good in everyone.  
Even in a guy like him.

Maybe she'd get a chance to know him later.

After the assembly was over, some of the students came over and, sheepishly, apologized for making fun of her.

"Oh, that's okay. You don't have ta worry, I don't hold grudges or anything." She would reply, cheerfully as she could.  
Her smile was, somewhat, contagious, as a few even smiled back.

Maybe things won't be so bad after all.

* * *

"Yeah, sure. Just let me finish up here."

After the assembly was over, everyone could go back to their dorms if they wanted to.

But, to the ones who didn't choose until today, had to register themselves for the class they finally chose.

And Marion was among those who decided to wait.  
She could exactly decide on her minor, so... she waited to see what they had in store.

But, she was in a pretty long line, almost 8 to 10 students long and the registration didn't just take 5 minutes either.  
"Sorry, Chica. Looks like I'm going to be here for a while. You don't have to wait."

Marion tried to keep a smile on her face, assuring to the chicken that it was okay.

"Well, alright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" Chica cheerfully replied, throwing her purse over her shoulder.

"Right. Tomorrow." And with that reply, Chica headed out the door.

* * *

The wind blew a little strong when the doors opened, making Chica settle her feathers to keep them off her eyes.

Once she opened them, she was greeted with a half-sunset, barely seen over the trees.  
This reminded her of her secret spot back at home almost suddenly.

Chica sighed, hoping she'd find a place here that would let her see the sunset in all of it's glory.

Her stomach growled, interrupting all thoughts.  
She had to giggle a bit, remember that all she had for lunch was a cup of coffee, courtesy of Marion.

Hopefully, she'd have a chance to go to the store and gather what she needed to make a few of her Mother's best recipes that she knew by heart, and now that she was on her own, she could learn some new ones.

Oh, she had forgotten how much she loved food.  
And that was making her even more hungry.

During this line of thinking, she didn't realize she wasn't watching where she was going...

"Oof!"

Chica fell back, sitting on the ground and dropping her books.

"Hey, watch where you're going." The other person retorted.

Somehow... Chica didn't like the sound of this man's voice.  
It sounded rusty and grim.

When she had the chance, she looked up to see a strange figure towering above her.  
His dirty gold eyes showed that he was serious.

He had his arms crossed and his eyebrows arched.

"... well? Say something, will you?"

It was the Fox from earlier.  
The one who arrived late, despite the consequences.

Except, Chica could get a better looked at him this time.  
He wore a faded blue sweater and black pants, his body physique could be described as "thin"

This fox didn't look too amused at the fact he was bumped by somebody.  
And he was waiting for an answer.

"S-Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" Chica hurriedly replied.

"You don't say..." The Foxy rolled his eyes, looking even more annoyed.

Chica's eyebrows arched in confusion.  
What was this guy's problem?

"Look, I said I'm sorry." She stated, squatting and picking up her books.

"... you did it on purpose, didn't you?" He asked, his voice rising.  
Now, he was suspicious.

"What? No! I was just too busy thinking about-" Chica started getting up, finally looking the man in the eye.

"Just admit it already." He cut her off, his stance never faltered.

Who in the name of bacon was this guy?

He started getting on Chica's nerves and she barely knew him.

Taking a deep breath and getting her priorities in order, Chica tried again.  
"Look... I didn't bump into you on purpose. I was thinking about what I could do for dinner and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I'm sorry."

The Fox tilted his head upward, examining her.  
His eyes seemed to spell only one word.

Liar.

Neither of them said a word to each other or anything in particular.  
And there wasn't any students or teachers nearby, which was strange to Chica.

The wind blew, carrying a few leaves across the air while the two strangers engaged in a staring contest with each other.

Who would win?

"... you're the girl from earlier, aren't you?" He finally said.

Chica stayed silent, her eyebrows arched down and her eyes never leaving the Fox's.

"You have some nerve, showing up to class late like that, you know?"  
His mouth pulled into a tiny grin as he raised his hands for a slow and pitiful clap.

"Congratulations... you're a Tardy-Bird."

He was mocking her...

He was flat-out mocking her...

... to her face, even?!

"What is your problem?!" She said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"You." Was his reply.

"Well, I didn't do anything to you!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." He raised a finger and moved it back and forth as a sign of denying.

Great... Chica never would've imagined getting this mad at anyone her whole entire life, her face started to twitch out of anger.  
And here, she thought there was some good in this man, which she still believed.

"That, is where you're wrong. You bumped into me, see? And probably on purpose too, just like every single female here who is wanting to have a spot on the bed with me. You're no different... Chica-tastrophe."  
His grin became ever so widening.

Chica's eyes widened, her cheeks grew red.

A spot on the bed... with h-him?!

Did he just...?

...

That did it.

For a second, the fury of Marion flashed into her mind.  
She didn't have much control over herself... nor did anything prepare them both for what happened next.

"I'm right, aren't-"  
He didn't get to finish, as a right hook was delivered across his face, knocking the living daylights out of him.

She wasn't going to stand here and let him make a mockery of her like that.  
And using the "alleged nickname", no less.

All of time seemed to slow down as he flew into the air, knocked off of his feet.

"I'M... NOT... A SLUT!" Chica roared in rage.

Foxy landed on the ground in a hard thud.

He just laid there... stunned.  
Almost on cue, the lights of the sidewalks came on.

All he could do was raise his hand to comfort the throbbing pain on his left cheek.  
Who... Who was this girl?

"Ugh..." Was his only reply.

"How can you just stand there and assume you know everything, huh?! I only bumped into you by accident! Why can't you get that through your head?!" Chica was boiling mad.

Being called a... you know... and having this guy who acted like a know-it-all to her, guessing her motives even if they weren't true.

"And I thought there was some good in you! I don't care what you did, you didn't have to take anything OUT ON ME!"

With that, she stormed off in a hurry.

The nerve of that Fox... She lost her appetite for dinner now.  
Why did she have to meet him like this?

Chica kept on walking, stomping with every step.  
Keeping her arms to her side and her eyebrows furrowed down, making the most anger in a facial expression that it could.

She almost felt like she could kill... gritting her teeth, Chica came to terms...

That Fox... she hated him! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!  
He deserved what she did!

The guy had it coming for a long time...

* * *

Foxy laid there on the floor, thinking about what just happened.

She punched him...

He could still feel where her fist made impact.  
For a small, clumsy chick... she sure knew how to fight.

But, the problem was... how would he respond? What was he suppose to feel about this?

Getting up and making sure his jaw wasn't broken, Foxy tried to get his mind in order.  
That really hurt.

Sure, he didn't mean to push the chick THAT hard.  
He was just having a bit of a rough day, and that was all.

Foxy didn't know what he was thinking, forcing his anger on the poor girl when all she did was accidentally bump into him.  
But, the nerve of every single woman on this campus trying to have their way with him...

He didn't mean to snap, having barely managed to escape the assembly without attracting any unnecessary female attention, and, when he bumped into this girl, he thought he didn't completely escape it.

So... he told her how he felt... or was about to, before the chick knocked him off his feet.

But, if what she was saying was true... then he messed up, big time.

Rubbing his jaw, he figured he deserved it.  
Now, all he had to do was avoid the girl.

Probably really ticked off at him for such a thing.

Foxy just hoped they didn't share any classes together.

* * *

It took a while after the anger faded that Chica began to feel some different emotion entirely.

Regret.

That wasn't like her to just... snap and hurt someone.  
For a long time, she thought it was impossible for her to hurt someone else, even if they deserved it.

Chica wasn't a cruel person... but, what was she thinking back there?

Opening her dorm room and entering it's darkness, she turned on the lights and placed her bag down.  
But, she kept the same expression on her face.

One that looked like she was in a daze, lost in some faraway world.

Walking slowly through the dorm like a zombie, she put her books and supplies down on desk before finally sitting down on her bed.  
Chica blinked, not know what to say for herself.

Sure, he said some things that were more than unpleasant and the fact he was even mocking her.  
She just...

Placing her head in her hands, Chica almost felt like she was the one at fault.  
No matter what he said or did, he didn't deserve it.

She didn't know what he had gone through today or what kind of life he had, she didn't have to get physical like that.

Maybe he was upset and rude for a reason, for all she knew.

It was in the moment that Chica decided to do something, even if it wasn't going to be something she would enjoy.

Tomorrow, she would find the Fox and apologize for hurting him, just so they could both move on with their lives.

After that, they didn't have to see each other again.  
They didn't even have to be friends.

But, that still didn't shake off the feeling of guilt Chica felt within her chest.

She sighed, hoping tomorrow would be a little better or at least, not as bad.  
The stomach growled again, reminded Chica to eat something.

Well, food could always comfort Chica in the worst of times, just as long as she didn't eat too much.  
She walked over to the fridge and began digging through the mine of assorted foods.

"Hmm... where is it...?" Chica muttered to herself as she bent down to look through the near mountain of canisters and other things you'd find in a refrigerator.

Picking up a canister of noodles, she examined them.  
"Not in the mood for this..." Chica muttered, putting them back.

"No, I don't feel like eating that..."  
The can of tuna with a smiling mermaid on it almost seemed to frown as a reply.

Picking up a small slice of her grandmother's best pie, Chica lightened up.  
"Maybe... nah, I'll save that for tomorrow." She decided.

Chica sighed, but kept searching for anything good.

Soon, there was a pair of eyes looking back at her.

She blinked, almost wondering if she was dreaming.  
No... it couldn't be... could it?!

Reaching both arms into the fridge and moving everything in the front aside, she pulled out...  
"MR. CUPCAKE!" She squealed.

True, it had been a favorite treat of Chica's since as long as she could remember.

* * *

In the early days, they struggled with the farm.

So when Chica's 3rd birthday rolled around, her parents didn't want to skip it like they had the 2 years before.  
But, they were poor and didn't have enough to buy a cake to celebrate.

Chica's mom decided to try her hand at making one, even though they had never tried.

She worked all the night before her oldest daughter's birthday to learn how to make a small cake.  
Which she later learned how to make "Cupcakes".

The next morning, Chica remembered waking up to a very delicious smell that she had never experienced before.  
She let the smell guide her to it's source.

Upon arriving into the kitchen, she found her Mom and Dad, holding a pink cupcake with little eyes and teeth.  
"Happy Birthday, baby girl" Her parents both said in unison.

Chica saw that as the best birthday ever.  
Even when they finally had enough money for a cake, she had always wanted the same treat year after year.

Mr. Cupcake.

* * *

To her, it felt special, the memory of her very first birthday celebration.

Snapping back to reality, Chica examined once more.  
It wasn't her birthday yet... she still had another few months to go before that.

Looking back in the place where Mr. Cupcake was, she saw a note.  
She picked it up and read it, recognizing her Mother's writing.

"Dear Chica...

I'm so proud of you... to make this huge decision for yourself.  
We'll all miss you so dearly.  
Sometimes, it's hard for me to believe the little girl I once found making weird faces in her school photos was growing up...

It scared me, but it also made me smile...

Chica, it has been an absolute pleasure and pride to see you grow up into a beautiful young woman.  
I know you'll do your best, baby girl.

Always remember that I love you so very much. Your father would have been so proud to see what kind of woman you've become.

Your grandmother will patiently wait for your return, even to the point of joking about seeing one of her granddaughters marry before she dies...

And, Chia will miss having her older sister around.  
I'm also proud of you for setting an excellent example for her, even when I couldn't.

I know you won't be back for another year or you might not be back at all... so, I decided to pull out your favorite treat.

Yes... this Mr. Cupcake is for you, Chica.  
I left you a recipe on the back so you can know how to make him and you can have him whenever you want.

Don't over-do it, okay, dear?

I love you so much.  
Always have and always will...

With hugs and kisses...  
Mom"

* * *

Chica was in tears by the end.

She hadn't expected her Mom to go and do something like this.  
But, she guessed it was what Mothers did.

Turning the letter over, she indeed, saw the recipe.  
She smiled, wiping a tear.

Chica felt better now... it was almost like her Mom was really there with her, comforting her.  
She closed the refrigerator and, eating the Mr. Cupcake, Chica went to get dressed.

Equipped with black shorts and a gray shirt with "Food is life" printed on it, she finished the cupcake, brushed her teeth and went to bed.  
Chica made up her mind to apologize to the Fox tomorrow.

And, if he wanted to, they could be friends...

She'd had to wait and see...  
Closing her eyes, she drifted into a deep sleep.

Tomorrow would be another day.

* * *

There... these last 2 days, I worked on this chapter more than I had the last two weeks...  
Bet most of you didn't see this one coming.

I don't even know what happened.  
First, not even feeling like getting up and working to working like nothing ever happened.

I'm really sorry it took this long... I'm usually not working like this.

And this is coming from a guy who has 1 story down and 5-6 more planned (including this one.)  
I have my next few years planned out, I promised I'd do the writing of these stories and I will stick with it.

Get ready, everyone. I'm coming back.

Thank you all so much for reviewing and for even waiting this long.  
Favoriting, Following and just plain reading!

Again, I'm really sorry.  
Yes, there's a sequel planned to "Love that never melts away" that I'm going to start writing as soon as this story finishes.

Some major plots of the sequel are planned. Don't worry about it taking too long.

Anyway, I'd better wrap this up.  
You all can go ahead and ask me anything if you'd like, I'm always there to answer.

Thanks again to everyone who read this and has been a part of what I've been doing here.  
And, as always...

I'll see you guys in the next chapter!  
Later!  
-RollieMcFly27


	3. Chapter 3

Hey again, readers! RM27 back again.

I'm trying not to let too much time pass by between chapters like the last one took (Even though I'm pretty sure I took almost or just as long...)

So, here we are, chapter 3!  
Thanks again for the reviews, you all keep me going even in my darkest times.

I'll try to work on updating more quickly, until then... I feel like I can never completely apologize on my delays and... well... everything else.  
And I'm out of things to say. Good thing too, I'd rather not take too long on these introductions.

Let's go already!

Onward!

-RollieMcFly27

* * *

"... it was you, wasn't it?"

This voice sounded familiar... if he could only open his eyes, he'd be able to tell who it was.  
He couldn't move, couldn't say anything.

"We have some evidence on the scene that point to you, mysteriously... now, I'm not saying that we're accusing you, but things look pretty grim for you right now."

Dammit, what was he talking about?  
Why couldn't he see?

Or talk even?

"Call for your lawyer, Mr. Fox... You're going to need one..."

... it hit him hard... now he understood what was going on.  
Moving his arms, he tried to break out of whatever held him, let it be cuffs or straps.

But, he couldn't move his arms, the thought of them possibly have been... broken crossed his mind and it scared him terribly.  
No... he had to try! He wasn't going to let these people hold him! He didn't do anything wrong!

He struggled, trying to move at least one part of his body. His heart began to fill up with anger and determination.

"No... No no no no NO NO NO!" His mind screamed as he finally broke free of his shackles.

He was still blind, but he didn't care.  
As long has he could run, he was still alive.

A large wail of an alarm rang throughout the facility... Great!  
Now he had to worry about them!

He shouldn't stop. He started running, that being the only thing he knew how to do.

The thought of slamming into a wall and causing harm to himself arose and, on instinct, he lifted his arms out and kept running.

His vision actually began to clear, he saw a door up ahead with a light shining out of it, indicating that it was open.  
Throwing every single negative thought of what kind of room it was, he kept on going, until he was merely inches away.

Then it closed...

He didn't see it coming, no one would have.  
One second, clear.  
Next second, a large metal security door slams downward, a metallic sliver with yellow and black caution print over the bottom.

Now that he got a good look, he closed his eyes and braced for the pain that was to come.  
Running at full speed, he still was...

Smart move, that was not... stopping was what he should've done.

He slammed against the door, his nose crumbled and shrunk half it's size on impact.

"Dooohhh! Oooowwww... me nose, me nose, WHY the nose?" He cursed, his eyes shut tight and his teeth glaring in pain.  
Before he could tend to his injuries, he heard something coming down the hall he came down.

They had found him and were now closing in on his location.

Out of sheer panic and fear, he ignored his throbbing nose and knocked on the security door 5 times with all his might.  
He knew it was useless, but he had to try.

They came closer and closer... he knocked more, almost practically begging for some way to escape them.

Then, it was too late...

"HOLD HIM DOWN!"

* * *

Foxy opened his eyes, staring at the alarm that had been blaring for the last 12 minutes.

Well, that solved the question of the alarm.  
Lazily, he got up to reached and hit snooze.

Not this again...

Memories of that incident kept reappearing in his dreams again.  
And he was so sure he got over that, but who could get over being a suspect of a murder?

It was something that happened so long ago, why even bother on that anymore?  
They never found the guy who did it, but they did clear his name.

Not wanting to think anymore on the thought, Foxy glanced at the curtains that were barely open, with only a peek of sunlight slipping through  
Running his mind through, he realized today was the first day of college.

"Hooray..." He thought as he laid his body back on the bed, almost regretting waking up.

Foxy wasn't excited about this whole deal with this, it was just another excuse for people to group up and "socialize", refraining from their studies and landing bad jobs at the end.

Foxy didn't have that many friends... actually, correct that, he had no friends at all.

He didn't care. Never had, never will.

He never had friends to begin with, why should he care about having any now?  
They wouldn't do anything, but gossip, talk a lot and be sensitive about many damn things.

He probably would've stayed in bed if he hadn't heard a faint noise which sounded in the distance, making his ear twitch.

If there was any sort of sound in the apartment at all, it meant his older sister, Mangline, was up.  
He rose out of his bed and slowly made his way to the kitchen before he grew hungry.

No, he didn't have to worry about going to college just yet.  
He could've just slept in if he felt like it.

Foxy was never the type to wake up early and go do something productive, so he signed up for afternoon and evening classes.

Once he was nearing entrance to the kitchen, he nearly ran into Mangline herself.  
He looked up to see that she was in her business clothes, ones she wore to work.

"Oh, morning, Sport! You're finally up, I see!" Mangline said cheerfully and patted the top of Foxy's head, much to his annoyance.

"... morning..." He grumbled, straightening out his fur where she had touched him.

"Today's your first day, isn't it?" She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Foxy square in the eye, her smile never leaving.

Foxy looked away, not wanting to discuss the topic any further and feeling like he got enough of his older sibling for one day.  
This was so typical of her, always trying some way to make him talk to her, even when he felt like garbage.

"You know that already, Mangline." He merely replied, moving past her and heading onward to the kitchen.

"Well, I just wanted to hear something from you, Foxy. Aren't you at least excited?" Her eyes followed him, looking for at least the slightest hint of joy, excitement or curiosity.

"Thrilled" Foxy answered grimly as he grabbed the carton of juice out of the fridge and searched for a glass to pour himself some.

Sure, he didn't mean to be this grim.  
But, with the history they both had, there wasn't any surprise as to wonder why he didn't look forward to everyday.

Mangline chose to try to overlook the past and keep pressing forward, while Foxy couldn't just simply push his away.

She studied Foxy for a moment.

She, too, knew about what was going through his mind.  
And, as much as she tried, he wouldn't talk to her.

"Well, I gotta run, Foxy. I brought breakfast for you. It's on the table" Mangline said, getting her bag and her keys to make her way out the door.  
Foxy's ears perked up...

Did she just say what he thought she just said?

He walked over to the dining room table.

A bag of McCawthon's...

He grumbled nonsense to himself.  
Foxy didn't like fast food, especially that, having eaten them most of his life.

Why couldn't they have something home-made, just once?

But, Mangline was friends with a manager of the fast food location, so she got breakfast for free.  
And because she had a job that kept her so constantly busy, there wasn't much time to prepare food.

"I'll be back later in the evening. If you need anything, I'm just a call away, alright? Bye!" Mangline made her exit out the door and closed it, it's noise could be heard over the apartment with it's silence rapidly increasing.

Foxy stood in the kitchen, still holding the juice carton.  
His eyebrows arched and his mouth in a frown.

Great, just great... he hated mornings like this.

He knew Mangline only had this job because she was looking for someone, which Foxy didn't really give any rat's bottoms who it was.  
Since he didn't feel like standing around in his shorts, Foxy went back to the room to get dressed.

Today would be a long day...

Why him?

* * *

Chica let out a content hum as she turned over on her bed.

A smile crept on her face, barely recalling the beautiful dream of being back home, enjoying another one of her mother's home-cooked meals.  
Her eyelids opened, adjusting themselves to see clearly, until they met the clock on the nightstand.

7:39 was the time.

"Hmm..." She happily murmured.  
Well, at least she didn't have to get up early today.

Her first class began at 9:30.

Wait...

Chica quickly sat up, trying to piece together what day it was and what she had to do today.

Of course!

As quickly as she had rose, her whole face lit up.  
She had classes today!

And if she remembered correctly... Culinary was her first one!

"YES!" Chica cheered, literally hopping out of bed to get dressed.  
A big smile seemed to be permanently plastered on her face as she chose to wear a small velvet shirt with tan leggings.

She had always loved cooking, ever since her Mom dubbed her old enough to handle the stove on her own.  
And, not to mention, Marion was also taking this class, making it a double!

"Ooh, I can't wait!" She quickly headed to the kitchen to heat up some biscuits she packed.  
All while trying to organize what else today should have in store for her.

Let's see...

Culinary class to start the morning...

History and Social studies by noon...

And, Drama in the afternoon...

... seemed simple enough...

Chica chose the classes she wanted to do.  
Culinary being the most obvious.

History was so she could try to get some background on what kind of life her parents had back then.

And... she chose drama because... well... she was shy to even admit it in her own mind.  
She wanted to try her hand at acting and maybe try to improve her singing ability a little.

No, not like she was ever that good of a singer, she just wanted to give it a shot.

Finishing her biscuit, Chica swung her bag over her shoulder, picked up her books and in a single move, she removed her keys of the hook on the wall and out the door she went.

She sighed happily, looking forward to today.

Once she had locked the door, she took a step back and for the first time, actually got to see the apartment she as staying at.  
The door was colored pink with a 204 on it.

There was also a piece of paper taped to the next right next to the frame.

"Hmm?" Curious, she pulled it off and read it.

* * *

"ATTENTION ALL RESIDENTS OF S & H.G APARTMENTS...

You are being notified at the moment reminding you that rent will have to be paid off first hand by next week.

The rent will be 30 dollars. We don't accept credit cards or checks!

This will also be your monthly pay, along with 2 week extensions if you are unable to pay on time.

After that... we'll leave it to you to figure out.

Signed, Management."

* * *

"... huh..." Was all Chica had to say to that.  
Shaking herself back to reality, she doubled-checked to make sure the door was locked.

Today was going to be a good one, she could feel it!

She made her way down the stairs on the side of the apartments, taking in the view of the college across the street.  
It was beautiful to see the trees turning into mixes of dark green and pale orange.

* * *

A few minutes later, she arrived at Culinary class with only 20 minutes to spare before they started.

In the room, there were rows of tables with 2 people on each one.  
And near the back, sitting alone at a table, was Marion.

From what Chica could tell, she looked like she was reading some papers and had a phone glued to the right side of her head.

She edged closer and closer, not sure if she was trying to avoid attention or if she was sneaking to try and catch on to what Marion could possibly be doing.

"... I'll get you the money... just give me a few more days..." Marion voice pleaded with the person on the other line, which caught Chica by surprise.  
With widened eyes, she inched even closer and leaned to hear her better.

"No, no, I have the documents right here. I'll file them when I'm able to, but I'm going to need some time. Just a few days."  
Eventually, Marion turned around slightly, which scared Chica into ducking to the side of a desk, leaning her back against the side of the desk.

Her heart pounded so hard, questions ran through her head like a guard on night shift.  
Wait... why was she so scared of being caught by Marion?  
Who was Marion talking to? It sounded serious.

It wasn't long before she heard the almost-familiar footsteps.

And, for a second, she felt they were coming for her.  
Chica closely listened to any sign that they were getting closer, she was afraid of what would happen then...

Nothing of the sort came...

Instead, they grew farther until one of the classroom doors opened, from there... they were gone.  
She didn't dare get up from her spot. Did Marion just leave? Chica couldn't tell.

"Hey, chick... You okay?" A voice came in somewhere behind her, she closed her eyes and focused on calming down so she didn't appear so nervous.

"Girl... Hey!" The voice came again, only louder this time.  
A hand tapped on her shoulder, making Chica open her eyes and stand up.

"Y-Yes, yes, I'm up! Sorry about that-how are you?" She spoke quickly, smiling as brightly as she could and putting her hands together on the desk.

So much for trying to act natural.

The other student looked at Chica, confused at her response.  
He was just talking to a friend until she walked by and suddenly got down to lean against the desk.

But, he chose not to think anything about it until realizing that she sat there for a while, so he tried to check up on her.

And... this was the reaction he got... did she just die or something?

After hearing no response, Chica attempted to coolly walk towards the desk Marion sat at, hoping to get this day over with.  
Noting that Marion's bag and books still sat there, Chica pinpointed that Marion only stepped out for a moment.

But, the question still bugged Chica...

What was that all about? Why did Marion owe someone money?

Of course, Chica didn't get the chance to ponder long until a friendly voice rose out of the blue.

"Hey, Chica! Nice to see you here!"  
She quickly turned around to see Marion.

Not the Marion she had seen earlier... this one looked like a friendly, more carefree, version.  
Chica had heard of people who masked their true feelings, she just had never met one.

Was Marion one of them?

"Hi!" She replied cheerfully, deciding it was best not to pry into the woman's business... after all... it wasn't her right to barge in.

From there, they talked until the teacher arrived. A woman who had wild auburn hair packed like a cloud, with a personality to match.

Chica couldn't wait to start... what sort of things would she learn?

* * *

The class went fine.

Much to Chica's disappointment, they only did basics...  
Yes, she knew all of this... heck, she almost showed the teacher off.

The only thing that kept her from doing so was the very first day.  
No... she didn't want anymore attention drawn to her.

But, the class was so easy! Crack an egg, boil the potato, blah blah blah.

She and Marion parted ways and Chica headed for History and Social studies.

That class went nicely too... except, she wasn't sure if she needed to know about "The Great General Phonias Guy", his communicative tactics and voice of reasoning that helped to end the War between the Guardians of Officiants and the Mechanizes, only to be assassinated 4 days later.

So much for that... wasn't there anything there that could help her learn more on the timeline her parents lived in?  
She guessed not... it'd probably take a while to get there.

But, throughout the entire day she had kept her eyes out for the Fox in question.

It was so strange... it seemed like he had suddenly disappeared. So, he wasn't a student, after all?  
Chica thought on this, wondering about who he was and what did he have to do with this college?

He looked too young to be a teacher, the attitude gave it away.

Maybe a friend that was here to visit? No... if he treated everyone like how he treated Chica yesterday, there wasn't much of a chance.  
Or... maybe there was a reason why he was upset and decided to take the entire thing out on her.

She shook the thoughts off.

If she didn't find him today, she'd find him tomorrow.

* * *

The next class, drama, looked like it was going to be fun.  
After all, she looked forward to having a part in a play or something similar.

She arrived in the building, taking a great look around the rows and rows of seats, which amazed her.

On the stage was a few other students, all of them had eyes on, who Chica presumed, was the teacher.  
She smiled and made her way up to the stage.

"Hey there! Chica, right? You're a little late, but come on up!" The teacher here greeted her warmly, which pretty much took her by surprise.

Maybe she'd enjoy this class after all.  
Probably might even become a favorite.

Taking a look at all the other classmates that stood on stage, Chica took her chance to examine every one of them.

A few looked like they were bored out of their minds, as if they would rather be doing anything, but this.  
Chica caught several eyes staring her way, but looked in another direction when she made contact.

The teacher went on about "Catching the perfect pitch" and "Actually feeling into the character" in a manner so unusually exciting, he seemed to be the only glowing face among the grim looks of the students.

Looking around at each person there, she tried to remember each one so she wouldn't get too confused about remembering them later if she had to.

However, there was one person that seemed to catch her eye.  
Out of all of them, he seemed to be the most prim and proper.

His brown fur and seemingly recognizable features gave him away, but Chica couldn't seem to put her finger on who the person was... she felt so sure she had seen him somewhere before.

This particular person happened to be a bear...  
Dress clad in a button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves, he looked so clean... so... prepared.

He wore a face of stress and exhaustion, making him look older than some of the students here.

Yet, he looked so familiar to her.  
If she had known this person before, why couldn't she remember?

Chica hadn't noticed she was staring until his eyes met hers, his expression never changing.  
She looked away as an immediate response, hoping to the bottom of her heart, the guy wouldn't do much about it.

Instead, she decided to put her attention to the teacher, who was now explaining the basic principles of acting.

The question continued to pound her mind.

Who is this guy?

* * *

This class went alright as well.

Chica had to admit, she had fun.

When all was said and done, class was over. Most of the students left talking with their friends, while a few just simply walked out.  
Chica had started to make her way out of the building, the setting the sun left on the entire campus grounds reminded her of what happened yesterday...

And... she thought again on the Fox, guilt suddenly overtook her heart as sudden as the single thought of what transpired.

Would she ever find this guy and... maybe ask for forgiveness?

Well... she already forgave him, she knew as much, now it was simply the matter of making things right with him.  
That is, if she could find him.

He didn't seemed to be in any of her classes nor did she find him during the spare moments she had.  
Maybe Marion knew him or could probably tell her something, anything, so Chica could find out who he was.

As she opened her bag to try and find her cell phone.

No.. wasn't there... not there...

From here, Chica started panicking.  
She hadn't lost her phone ever since the day she got it and today just had to be the day the record was broken, where was that phone?!

Seeing that it wasn't in her purse, Chica tried to think on where she could've dropped it.  
So, she began to retrace her steps, starting with culinary class.

Chica ran as fast as her legs could carry her...

Dammit... she needed to work out a little more...

* * *

No sign of it in her culinary classroom, and she made sure to check every table and desk...

History and Social studies was next.

Chica began to grow more and more scared.  
Where could it be?

A dash out of one building to another, she could feel her heart pound so harshly and she was sweating more than she needed to... a shower sounded nice right about now.

She ran past a professor and a teacher who were both in a deep conversation with each other, only stopping to move out of the chicken's way.

There was the building, now she just had to look for it.  
Upon entering, she noticed the entire building was dark without all of it's lights.

Quiet and eerie without all of... the people...

Chica gulped and tried to make her search as quick as she could.  
She was starting to get the feeling she wasn't suppose to be here and if they caught her... another mark on her record.

Quickly finding her classroom, she hurried in and scanned the entire room until she laid eyes on a small box on the desk reading "Misplaced/Lost and Found"  
Not having to think twice or hesitating, she ran towards it while trying to avoid knocking over any of the desks.

If it wasn't in there, Chica could only hope it wasn't in the auditorium because they had closed it down for the day.

"It has to be in here, where is it, where is it?" Chica said to herself to steady her nerves.

There it was.  
As bright pink, sparking and glittered as can be.

Chica picked it up and embraced the little device in a hug, smiling brightly and letting relief wash over her.  
Good... now she could go to her dorm in peace... and if it was still early enough, she could still make it to the store.

Just as she placed it in her pocket, she heard footsteps down the hall.

She quickly shot a look at both doors.

There was no telling where the footsteps where coming from, which door they would enter, if she could make it to the opposite door without being detected and... whose footsteps those belonged to.

Chica's first instinct was to hide.  
Being behind the desk, she quickly hid in the large legs spot underneath it.

Hopefully, they weren't coming into this room and she could still leave without anyone knowing she was here.

The door opened, Chica's heart almost stopped.  
She held her breath, listening closely... hopefully they wouldn't come anywhere close.

"Hmm... someone's been here, I see..." A cold voice sounded across the room, leaving Chica dumbfounded... that voice...  
The sounds of desks being moved quickly followed, Chica forgot to make sure everything was in order when she ran...

No use in crying over spilled milk now, she needed to focus on not being caught.

Silence, then more moving of desks...

Then... just silence...

"Blasted lads..." Came the voice again, this time, sounding more grim and quiet.

Chica held herself in place.  
The voice sounded familiar, but she had never heard anyone talk in an accent such as this... was this scottish or something?

She barely had time to ponder on this as the noise of the footsteps grew louder and more closer, Chica's eyes widened as they stopped...

Right in front of the desk...

"Oh, Scott, please... anywhere, but here... please help me out of this..." Chica silently prayed, her heart was beating so quickly, she felt sure they could be heard.  
A box was moved across the desk, followed with some grunting from this... person.

"Where are ye...?" Said the voice again.

At that moment, a chill ran down Chica's back... it almost felt like it was directed at her.

Why her?  
Why did she have to be in this situation?  
Who is this person and what are they doing?

Chica gulped and held her knees to her chest.

"There ye be..." The cold voice rang again, Chica closed her eyes, having never felt so scared in her whole life.  
That, in a wrong move, lead to a whimper coming out of Chica's mouth.

As soon as she had let it out, she quickly slapped a hand over her beak, which made a sound louder than the first.  
Listening closely, she didn't hear the person make any moves or noises.

Chica hoped from the bottom of her heart that this person didn't notice her.

"... I know ye're here. Show yerself!" The person suddenly demanded.  
She didn't move at first, hoping he wasn't referring to her or the desk.

"Don't bother hidin'! I know ye're under the desk! Come on out, scalawag, and face me!"

...

Chica had no choice... she slowly came out, oddly, with her hands in the air.  
Her back facing the scottish-sounding person, so she still didn't know who it was.

But, she also didn't know why she suddenly had the thought he was armed.

"Okay, Okay! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be here and it won't happen again, I promise!" She quickly blurted out, shutting her eyes.

"... Chica...?" The person responded, a hint of surprise and horror in their voice.  
Her eyes widened at the sound of her name, the voice suddenly became clear to her.

"Y-You!" She turned around, meeting face-to-face with her suspected person.

The Fox... wide-eyed and trembling...

And he looked as white as a ghost...

* * *

There we are.

I feel like there's no way to apologize for the wait...

But, I will say this... while I was fighting writer's block, I decided to work on the other stories I had planned.  
(Secret, secret, shh!)

I even had the thought to put this story on hold and work on one of the others.  
Except... they're all tied...

I can't post one without revealing the backstory of a character here first...

Can't post another because there's some things that need explaining...

And the last one, I can't because... I need to write the second (On this small list) first.

So, yeah...  
Three are being planned and they all tie together with my best work "Love that never melts away"  
I'm going to try to stay dedicated to these stories until their very end.

And I know you'll be enjoying them too.

I try to work as fast as I can, but things get in the way, I can't bring myself to write or I just need to relieve some stress and steam...  
So, I guess I finished this.

Chapter 4, I'll try to write it down as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or want to say anything to me, you're more than welcome to message me.  
As usual, thank you so much for the reviews, favorites and follows!

But, if you didn't do either, thank you for just reading this!  
Hopefully, you enjoyed!

Don't be scared to leave a negative review if you found something wrong.  
I need to know something like this.  
So, give me your best shot if you do!

Thank you all so much, I'll try to get another chapter up as quickly as possible.

And, I'll see you in the next chapter!

Later!


	4. Chapter 4

I'm back, starting to piece myself back little by little.  
Ahem... This is RollieMcFly27 again!

Sorry for the wait. I couldn't bring myself to write when I wanted to... it was almost like... I didn't want to.  
So, I'm bringing myself with "Lost my pieces" to get myself writing, my eyes keep watering at the beautiful parts, but it's a sacrifice.

Anyway, here's chapter 4! I haven't given up yet!

Enjoy yourself!  
-RollieMcFly27

* * *

They both stood in that classroom, staring into each other's eyes.

One pair of eyes was staring in horror, his fur nearly turning as white as a sheet.  
The other stared in disbelief, mainly for a few reasons...

That, after the entire day had gone past, she couldn't catch even a glimpse of him.  
And here he was.

The evening sun glared through the windows, giving the dim room an orange glow.  
Chica stood behind the desk, holding her hands out in front of her with caution.

Foxy stood in front, his wide eyes blinking, trying to process everything.

This was the chick who socked him yesterday.  
Throughout the day, he hid from her, avoiding.  
He wasn't sure if it was because he was scared she would punch him again, which he was DEFINITELY not.

Or was it just to give her some space?

Trying to grab a handle on the situation, Foxy cleared his throat and tugged at his collar.  
"What are ye-" He stopped himself, his eyes widened again at a horrible realization... one that was worse than having her of all people be behind that desk.

If she was here... then, she heard him... talk...

No!

He had to stay focused and make sure he could get the upper-hand.  
"... er, I mean... What are YOU doing here?" He demanded, making the "You" clear enough.

Foxy crossed his arms to try to look proper and important, even though he was shivering on the inside and making sure he didn't get a repeat of yesterday.

Chica raised an eyebrow, losing her surprised stance.  
What was that? Did he change his way of talking?

"Speak!" The fox barked.

Chica felt an eyelid twitch, her teeth gritted in anger.  
This guy knew how to push her buttons and push them well.  
"Well, how about YOU tell me, what YOU're doing here?" Chica mimicked him, crossing her arms as well and glared angrily at him.

This response seemed to surprise him, almost like he wasn't expecting a comeback.  
But, he came with one not too long after.

"I asked first!" He retorted.

"So, what?" She countered.

This girl... who was she? Foxy could feel himself growing frustrated as the argument dragged on.  
"You were hidin' in here when no one's suppose to be here after hours!"

"Speak for yourself, mister!"

"Don't ignore the fact you were hiding!"

"I thought you were a teacher!"

"Oh, how well that work out for ye, now didn't it?"  
Foxy caught himself, being so mad, he slipped.

Dammit, he needed to be careful!

Chica caught that change in his voice, deciding to use it.  
"Ye, huh? What are you, scottish?" She brought out, a grin started growing on her face.

That caught Foxy off-guard. He blushed lightly, taking a step back.  
He tried to think of something to counter, but this was personal...

This was a secret he had been hiding for years and now she caught him using it.

Why her?! Why now?!

He began to sputter, his mouth twitching with failure to come up with something as a comeback.

But, it was no use... she had him...

Chica just grinned in victory. Sure, she was a little cruel there, but one way or another, she wasn't going to let this guy try to control her, not after... what he said...  
Then, she stopped.

Her smile dropped as a realization dawned upon her.  
She came to... apologize and make up with him, that was the point of today.

Yet, here she was, fighting with him... almost like they were picking up where they left off from yesterday.  
Almost like she wanted him to pay for what he did, even after what she...

And she was enjoying it... watching him look so... helpless.  
No... no no no no... this was not what she wanted! She never wanted this!

Chica placed her hands to her head, realizing what she had done. Tears ran down her face as she looked away from him, her teeth clenched.

What was happening to her?! She was never like this!  
She gasped for breath as she fell to the floor in shame and shock.

This wasn't like her... at all...

* * *

Foxy watched the entire thing unravel itself.

She looked so proud... so victorious as she had him right where she wanted him.

Then... she just stopped.  
Like an switch had been turned on in her, her emotions suddenly changed, becoming someone else entirely.

Now, she sat on the floor behind the desk. Foxy wasn't sure what to do or how to react to this.  
Chica began sniffling, keeping her head lowered.

Foxy walked around the desk, wondering what on earth was going on.

"Hey, uh... are you... okay?" He asked softly, keeping his distance to make sure she didn't try anything.

The small slumped body of the chick just began trembling, holding her hands to her face.  
He was pretty sure he heard silent sobbing.

Great... now what?

His gaze turned to the box of tissues that happened to be on the desk.  
While Foxy's mind said to leave the girl alone, something else... something else within him told him to pass the box to her and try to make her feel better, even if he wasn't sure how.

Without thinking, he took a few slow steps forward. Her sniffing continued as did her shaking.  
He reached for the box of tissues and got down on one knee.

Foxy figured he'd probably regret it, but somehow, he just didn't care.

"Here. Wipe those eyes o' yer's..." He stated, not caring about his accent anymore.

Chica looked up at the box, then to him.  
She felt so sure he would leave or something... but, here he was.

His golden eyes shone in the middle of his darkened form.  
Something about him seemed different, she couldn't tell what, but it painted him in a different light that Chica never saw before.

They stood like that for a while, mostly what was happening was Foxy waiting for her to take the damn tissues already.

Her tears made a mess of her face, wet feathers were smeared in every direction.  
But, what he noticed most were her eyes, a brilliant shade of purple.

Then, a sudden move was made, Foxy never saw it coming.  
The chick hopped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug...

"Uh..." Foxy suddenly replied, wide-eyed and not sure what to do.

He felt awkward like this, having another person wrap their arms around him.  
His mind was screaming that he was doomed, that he had to get out of there right now.

If he was doomed, why wouldn't he move?

* * *

Chica had no idea why she did what she did, but anything to keep herself from crying in front of his face.  
He felt so... warm and secure.

She didn't want to ruin his clothes, turning her face away from his.  
Foxy waited for something else to happen... but, she didn't make any more moves... just sitting there with her arms around him.

"I'm... I'm so sorry..."  
She whispered, her voice cracking like she was trying to keep herself in check.

He blinked and turned his head slightly towards hers.  
Was she apologizing...?

"Fer... what?" He questioned quietly.  
Foxy felt sure he knew what she was talking about, but he just wanted to be sure.

Chica cringed, wondering if he was doing this because he wanted to have the satisfaction of hearing her say it... or if he just...  
"For... for everything. From-From the... yesterday and.. today..." She replied, nearly losing herself.

Foxy understood now.

But, what was his next move?

As he pondered, his other arm went around her, consoling the chicken.  
"It's okay... I... fergive ye..." He said, not realizing what he was doing.

Chica's eyes widened for a moment, before filling with tears once again.  
She buried her face in his jacket, being tired of holding her emotions, she let everything flow through...

As she sobbed into his jacket, Foxy rolled his eyes, partly trying to come up with an excuse to tell his older sister if she saw the wet marks on his jacket.

Then, there was the other part that slowly rose from his chest... something he didn't think he'd feel.

"Whatever... just let it happen..." Foxy thought to himself

They both stayed there for a while.

Chica cried into him while he just held her, rocking them back and forth.  
Foxy could think of a few places he wanted to be, but neither seemed better...

... than now.

* * *

It was a few minutes before Chica stopped and let go of him.

She sat on the desk while he sat next to her, arms crossed, making sure she was okay.  
Chica blew into a tissue and finally managed to keep herself calm.

Foxy didn't say anything as he looked away from the chicken and kept his gaze somewhere else.  
Then again, Chica felt likewise, keeping her gaze away from him as well.

Together, they both just simply sat there for what seemed like an eternity, though it was only a few minutes.

Chica felt she had to break the silence.  
And, maybe, the ice too.

"So..." She began, but trailed off.  
Foxy made no move to respond or acknowledge that she even spoke.

She couldn't bear the silence, but there wasn't anything she could talk about with him...  
They were barely considered acquaintances... friends, even less.

A question rose through her mind. It wasn't a nice question, more of a personal one... she had used it against him earlier, but she had to ask.

"So... why do you, um... speak in a Scottish accent like that?" Chica barely mustered, hoping she didn't offend him by asking.

That caught his attention, his golden eyes met her purple ones and her blood almost ran cold the moment they touched.

Foxy turned his head to Chica, showing no sign of anger or disgust... just... nothing.

She now knew the secret that he kept so well guarded all these years, that he spoke in an accent...  
He let out a sigh as he tried to piece together an appropriate answer.

"It ain't Scottish, lass..." Foxy replied, letting his accent free.

Chica blinked in wonder.  
He was speaking to her in that same tone he tried not to... it felt so... revealing, almost like she was seeing him for who he was.

"N-Not?" The chicken questioned, trying to put the two and two together. If it wasn't Scottish... "Then... what is it?"

Foxy looked away. He wasn't going to let her know that easily... it was enough that she even knew about this.  
Speaking of which...

"Lass, what's yer name again?" He changed the topic, hoping she wouldn't demand an answer to her question or even get at him for even bothering to change it at all.  
Chica noticed, but she decided not to press him any further on that.

"Um... Chica Chicken. But, didn't you know that already?" She inquired.

"I forget things sometimes. The name's Foxy." He replied, meeting her eyes again.  
She blinked, the name seemed to suit him so well, it was almost ironic.

"Nice to meet you" She stated with a small hopeful smile.

Foxy examined her face before turning away.  
She looked like a nice girl, but looks could be deceiving...

"What classes are ye taking, Lass?" He asked, sounding a little hesitant.

Chica raised an eyebrow in confusion, not knowing why Foxy needed to know this.

But, it didn't hurt for him to know.  
"Culinary in the morning, History in the afternoon and Drama after that" She explained.

Foxy raised a hand to his chin and thought on this information.  
"I guess all I need is to join this... cauliflower... culinbary..."

"It's culinary" Chica corrected him.

"Whatever... I'll join it. When's it start in the mornin'?" Foxy turned his head to her for an answer.  
Chica processed all this fairly quickly, finally realizing what he was saying.

"Whoa, wait! Join? Why?" She asked, getting off the desk and turning to face him.

"I already be takin' History and Drama, Lass. Now, what time is this class?" Foxy tried again, sounding a little more forceful.

"Wha-you're taking those classes too?!" Her eyebrows raised and eyes widened, "Then... why haven't I seen you?"

Foxy just simply closed his eyes and allowed a smirk to himself.  
"Hmph... Sorry. I never spill my secrets," He merely said.

Chica rolled her eyes, guessing the perfect reason for her own question.  
She stayed silent, sitting back on the desk next to him.

"Then... why are you going to join culinary?" She spoke up after a while.

Foxy didn't move, just closing his eyes to think of the right way to say what he was about to say next.  
"Ye know me secret... don't ye?" He simply questioned back.

Chica turned her attention to him, forgetting for the moment, what that secret really was... until it came flooding back into her mind.  
"Y-Yes... I'm sorry I used it against you... earlier." She apologized again, closing her eyes and lowering her head as a sign of shame and genuine regret for such an action.

"... I don't care about that." Was the reply from the rusty voice.

"Huh?!" She stared, wide-eyed.

He... didn't?

If he wasn't trying to get another apology out of her... "Wha-But... um... I-" The sputtering chick tried again, only to be stopped by the fox.

"I asked ye a question, do ye know my secret?" Foxy kept his eyes closed, continued to lean towards the desk.  
If Chica wasn't so speechless, she would've probably looked in awe.

"The sc-uh... the accent, you mean?" Her eyebrows arched upward, expressing concern.

"It's not Scottish, lass, I made that clear. And, yes, I mean that."

'So much for that,' Chica thought, as her near slip didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Here's the thing... The secret, I guarded it like a treasure for a long time. Ye be the first one to ever find out, even though ye were one of the last on this ol' world I ever wanted to find out I had an accent... the secret is precious to me, and now that ye know, I have to make sure it be staying that way." Foxy finished.

He got off the desk for the first time in a while and positioned himself so that he was facing Chica.  
She listened intently to every word, but had a lot of questions in her mind...

Why did he have an accent?

If it wasn't Scottish, what was it?

Why didn't he want anyone else knowing about it? Why is it precious to him?

So many questions she wanted to ask, but knew better than to dare mouth them out.  
Maybe she'd find out for herself, if she ever did.

But, for now, there was a bigger pending question... this one, she could safely ask without getting on his bad side or stepping in any personal territory.

"What do you mean by 'Staying that way', Foxy?" Chica started to feel a sense of uneasiness bubbling up in her stomach... why did she feel like she wasn't going to like his answer?

"That means I'll be making sure that mouth of yers stays shut 'bout this whole thing."  
He playfully tapped her beak and chuckled.

Chica blushed a bit and stepped back to make sure he didn't try anything else.

"Wait, if you don't want me to say anything, I won't! I'll keep it a secret!" She tried to keep herself from sounding upset, but you could still hear the annoyance in her voice.

"An' let a stranger be walking around knowin' what happened here? Sorry, Lass, though ye're a pretty looker, I can't let ye go so easily."  
A smirk rose as he turned around to walk out of the room, leaving Chica to blush.

But, as much as she noticed he was speaking more fluently, Chica had yet to be done with him.  
"So, what are ya gonna do? Follow me around?" She nearly spat, raising her arms out to make her point.

Foxy stopped in his slow stride.

Turning his head and allowing a toothy grin show, he replied in a rustier tone.  
"Precisely..."

She stare at his back, wide-eyed once more. Did she just... hear him right?  
"Wh-What?"

"Don't make this any more weird than it already is, Lass. I don't want to do it, but you know me secret, so I have to. Good night, Chica, see you tomorrow."

And, with that, he was gone before Chica could say anything more.

* * *

What was that all about?

Chica continued to ponder on this as she returned from the store and made her way to the dorm.  
Or as it was now called, her apartment.  
So much for a dorm... what kind of student pays for their own room every month?

"Whatever..." She breathed out as she walked up the stairs and went into her room.

But, it was unknown to her, that someone had seen her and watched her go inside the apartment.  
That same someone smiled... his plan would go along well.

* * *

The next morning proved to be confusing for Chica, as she couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday and what Foxy had said to her...

He would follow her in order to keep his accent a secret?

But, why? It wasn't like she was going to tell anyone, if anything, she wanted to ask him all sorts of questions regarding his secret.

Chica quickly got dressed in some jeans and a loose purple shirt, headed out to her makeshift kitchen to make breakfast.

Thoughts of him kept attacking her, almost destroying her concentration as she cracked some eggs and swirled them around in the pan.

"Come on, I'm better than this." She told herself, getting pretty annoyed at her situation.  
Chica was starting to dread today, mostly because of HIM... and the questions continued to confused her.

"This shouldn't be hard. Maybe I won't see him today..." She looked on the bright side.

Then, her cellphone rang. She thought it'd probably be Marion, remembering that they exchanged numbers after culinary yesterday.

When the caller ID said "Unknown number," She placed her bets on that.  
'Yep, it's probably her.' Chicathought, answering it.

"Hey! It's so nice of you to call!" She said, cheerfully.

"It'd better be nice." Came a voice on the other line...

This one wasn't Marion. Chica's face dropped and her cheeks felt hot.

"Um... I-I'm sorry, who's this?" She tried to pick herself up before she made a fool out of herself to... whoever this was.  
The voice didn't reply at first, just leaving an eerie silence.

Chica checked her phone to make sure the line wasn't cut, then held it closer to try and hear anything.  
She heard something opening on the other line... footsteps...

"Check outside your window." The voice finally said, sounding a little annoyed.

Chica blinked for a second, wondering why this stranger would ask something so unnecessary of her.  
Could she even trust him?

"What for?" She asked, glancing at the only window in her entire apartment.

"Just do it." The other person insisted.  
She didn't like it, but she felt compelled to do what he said.

Once at the window, she pulled aside her curtains to see...

"F-FOXY?!" Chica yelled in surprise... to the phone.

The said fox was crouching on the fire escape stair well outside the building, holding a cellphone of his own to his ear, or he was... until he pulled it away, cringing, before placing it back.

"Hey, Lass, yell a wee bit louder, there be a guy snorin' on the second floor and someone needs to put us all out o' our miseries..." Foxy joked, annoyed that he nearly got his eardrums bruised

Chica gave a look of confusion before she realized she had yelled into the phone.  
"Oops! Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized, blushing at her own mistake.

Foxy stared at her like she had a third eye... which she didn't.  
"Ye apologize a lot fer a lass. Just open the window and let me in." Foxy replied and hung up.

Chica hesitated for a second before actually opening the window and letting him in.

She didn't feel right doing this... allowing him to enter like this, but she also didn't have any reason NOT to let him in.

"Nice lil' place ye got here." Foxy stated, placing his hands on his hips and taking a look around some small excuse for an apartment.  
Chica let him settle in a little before trying to speak any further.

"So... how'd-"

"If ye want to know, I live a floor above ye. I saw ye comin' home last night." Foxy cut before she could finish.  
He fixed the cuffs on his jacket and sniffed the air...

"Hey, Lass..." More sniffing followed as he turned around to face her.

"Are ye... cookin'?"

Chica didn't know how to respond.  
Was he mocking her?

Seeing how he was behaving, she guessed he was merely asking... yet, what was that twinkle in his eyes?  
"Y-Yes... why?" She replied, deciding against her better judgment that he wasn't going to do anything rude.

Foxy's eyes widened in astonishment, before turning around to slowly step towards the stove.  
It smelled so good to him, he couldn't remember ever seeing something so glorious like this.

"If it won't be too much trouble, Lass... May I have some?" He asked, almost sheepishly.

Chica blinked curiously.  
Sure, she'd let him have some, but she only made enough for herself...

"Didn't you eat before you got here?" She asked, daring to walk towards him.  
Foxy didn't answer, nor did he turn around to face her.

He knew the answer perfectly... he just didn't want her to know why.

Mangline brought some more of that garbage... Foxy swore that it tasted worse every single time he ate some.  
"I don't want to talk about it, Lass." He simply replied.

And, Chica knew better than to pry.  
"Okay, I'll make some more..." She sighed, checking her watch.

Culinary wouldn't start for another hour and a half, it wouldn't kill to prepare another for Foxy.

Chica just hoped she didn't have to make too much.

* * *

She did...

It took him a while to say it, even, as he seemingly enjoyed the food more than she did.  
He ate like he was starving for months, stuffing it in his mouth and savoring it before he asked for some more.

Chica prepared some more without complaining... she almost enjoyed doing it.

"Why couldn't he do this himself?" Chica wanted to ask him pretty badly... after all... he was walking right next to her.

Apparently, it was part of the deal of knowing his secret...  
Curse her, why'd she have to be the one to know it?

Chica could feel eyes on them as they walked towards Culinary.  
Foxy didn't seem to mind all the attention, he just stared straight forward and walking in large strides.

Occasionally, he'd glance at her, wondering why she looked so... uncomfortable.  
Foxy rolled his eyes as he tried to get this morning over with, why did this class have to be in the morning?

They arrived at the door to the class. Foxy inspected it carefully.

"This is it?" He asked, hiding his accent once more.

Chica noticed this, but didn't ask why, only replied.  
"Yeah... come on, they'll be starting in a few."

They opened the door to hear a lot of chattering and idle talk from everyone present.  
Only for all of that to be silenced as soon as Foxy and Chica entered.

The first to notice this, was Foxy... Chica later followed.

Everyone stared at the two, mostly out of wonder and surprise, while others were trying to figure out what made everyone go quiet all of a sudden.  
But, the air reeked of fear...

"Well...! Uh, Mr. Fox, is it? How nice of you to join us!" The teacher spoke, obviously nervous as Foxy's reputation spread around the campus pretty quickly.

"Don't mention it." Was his reply, almost a retort.

Chica looked around nervously.  
She wasn't expecting this kind of entrance and she didn't want to have so much attention on her.

"Well, go on and take your seat, Mr. Fox and Ms. Chica." The teacher finished as she tried her best to look occupied.

Foxy just nodded and began walking towards the back of the class, with Chica in tow.

Why were all these people staring?  
If it had been just her, they wouldn't even give a second glance.

But, with Foxy in the picture... everyone turned their attention towards them both...

Were they scared of Foxy? If so... why?

* * *

Marion sat in the far back again.

The expression of confusion was written all over her face, even as she tried a weak smile to assure everything was okay.  
"Um... hey, Chica," She tried, stealing a glance at her friend's companion.

"Hey, Marion," Chica smiled and played along, before Foxy could try to do anything rude to her.

"Glad you came." Marion continued the small charade for a while "Friend of yours?" She motioned nervously to Foxy, who just looked away.

Marion had no idea what was going on, but she hoped to get some explanation out of this... at least a reason why Chica was with... the biggest troublemaker this campus had ever seen.

"Okay, um, Mr. Fox... since you're coming in at the last minute, you'll have to be seated with-"

"I'll be with Chica, thank you." Foxy cut in, talking as if daring the teacher to defy him, even if he wasn't trying to sound that way.

Most of the students looked back, murmuring passed around the air like fog.  
Not sure what to do or how to react, but they stayed quiet, save for the murmuring ones.

"O-Okay! Jeremy, pass a chair for..."  
The teacher sputtered as she asked a classmate to get a chair for Foxy, only to realize that there wasn't any need for that as she watched Foxy himself go get a spare chair without saying a word.  
"... never mind, you're getting your... right." She trailed off, obviously feeling flustered about embarrassing herself.

Foxy seated himself at Chica and Marion's table, making Chica sit in the middle.  
He placed his arms over and rested his head on them, wanting the class to be over.

Marion waited until the moment was right before she made her next move.  
"Psst... why are you with him?" She managed to whisper to Chica, hopefully without Foxy knowing.

It wasn't that she held any sort of hatred or anger towards Foxy.  
She was mostly worried about her friend, wanting to know how she got into something with this guy...

Chica noticed this and also glanced at the sleeping form of the said fox before replying.  
"W-Well, it's kind of a long story... I'll talk later." She promised, whispering back in reply.

Marion looked at Foxy before she turned her attention back to Chica.  
"Okay... but, are you in trouble with him?" "She tried, wanting at least one answer.

"She probably is, she's probably not... she'll explain later. Now let me sleep." Foxy replied tiredly.  
All that whispering had been useless... he could hear them after all.

Both Marion and Chica both widened their eyes in shock at his take into their not-so-private conversation.

Marion blushed at her own mistake for underestimating a fox's sense of hearing.

"I'll... I'll talk later." Chica said, almost in a pity.  
Her pale-faced friend nodded in response.

Chica didn't like what had transpired...  
Now realized what her time with Foxy would mean... no privacy...

Would things be okay for her anymore?

She'd never know.

* * *

The rest of the day went okay for both of them.

History went on without a problem, no one paid any attention...  
Not even hint of acknowledgement.

Foxy sat himself right next to Chica, which she found odd, but didn't say anything.  
The class went on and on, with the only other sound being Foxy's quiet snores... which made it impossible for Chica to pay attention to the class.

Once that was over, Drama was next.

"So, you were in drama too?" Chica tried to engage in conversation with him on their walk over.

"Mmm... yeah, I guess. Mostly there because it's a nice place to sleep." Foxy replied, yawning.  
He didn't feel like starting this kind of conversation.

Chica stared at the fox with wide eyes.  
"What? But, all you've done in these classes was sleep!" She nearly shouted, not believing what she just heard.

"Eh... whatever." Was his reply.  
Chica shook her head, sighing as she did.

Sometimes, she just couldn't understand him.

They continued to walk, letting the cool breeze pass through them as some leaves flew beyond them.  
For a while, Chica had begun to notice that they were alone as far as anyone could see...

Was it because of... whatever it was that people had a problem with Foxy?

As soon as she thought that, she her eye caught a sight of someone a little far off.  
It was that guy from drama class, with his brown fur and fancy-like clothes.

His back was facing them, he continued to walk, seemingly looking through some files.  
Chica felt so certain that she recognized him...

But, from where?

She squinted her eyes to see him better, trying to remember anything familiar...  
It happened when, in her mind, he wasn't wearing the fancy clothes.

In their place... was a jacket that a football player wore on school...  
High school grounds.

Then, it came rushing back to her at full force.  
It couldn't be him... could it?

She made quick glance at the fox next to her to see if he noticed the person ahead, but he seemed to be far away by the look in his eyes.  
Would he be mad if she tried?

She decided to go for it.  
After all, what's a little reunion between two people?

"Hey, you! Wait up!" Chica shouted out so the bear far off could hear her, nearly stopping him in his tracks and looked around.

But, Foxy's ears instantly perked up and he covered her mouth.  
"Hey, what are ye, crazy?! Why are ye yellin'?" He whispered harshly.

What was she trying to do? He wondered, grabbing her with one arm behind her back and the other on her beak.  
She looked at him with eyes of fear, which turned into annoyed ones.

It took Chica most of her strength to pull his arm off her face  
"Sorry, I just wanted to talk to the guy over there. I think I knew him from high school." She explained.

Foxy groaned... he didn't have time for this...  
Or he did, he just didn't want to meet some old friend of Chica's who was probably a loser or something.

"Chica, ye can't be serious..." He started, but was stopped by the chicken.

"Don't worry! He's right over there!" Chica pointed, starting to become more cheerful as the bear that was far off started to walk towards where they were.

"Where?" Foxy strained his eyes to see where she was pointing...  
But, once he had a good look at who she meant, a shiver ran down his spine.

He knew this person too...

... just not in a pleasant way...

"No... no..." He faintly said as his entire face started to turn a shade of pale.  
Foxy wanted more than anything to run away, try to forget he ever saw this man... but it was too late.

He was here.

For as long as he could remember since that day and the ones that followed, Foxy had been running from his past.  
Now that he had finally found a place where no one knew him or what happened, he was so sure he felt safe.  
Seems the world wasn't big enough for him.

"Can I help you with anything?" The bear asked politely as he gathered his papers and tucked them under his arm.

Chica was so certain that she knew him, trying to make out and recognizable features.

Once she imagined him in the jacket and longer hair, it all came back to her.  
His blue eyes, husky physique and undeniable freckles gave him away...

Yes, this was him, she'd bet her life on it.

"Hey, there! I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Chica!" She chirped so happily, it glowed.

The bear, however, just raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.  
"Uh... have we met somewhere before?" He glanced at Foxy and back to Chica.

Foxy avoided eye contact with the bear, not wanting any attention drawn.  
He secretly hoped the bear would not recognize him.

But, Chica's face fell... maybe she had mistaken him for someone else?  
No! This was him, she was so sure!

"Wha-come on! Don't you remember? We went to High school together? You were a senior when we met, transferred from another school?"  
Chica tried her best to be hopeful... maybe this wasn't him after all.

"High school... let's see... ah, yes, I recall something like that... Chica."  
The bear didn't show any facial expressions, just nodded to show that he understood and was being honest.

Chica gasped and smiled so brightly, you'd have thought it was Christmas morning.  
"So you do remember! How are you?!" Chica shook his hand giddily, trying to contain her excitement.

"I'm doing normal, per usual." He coolly replied, his attention turned to the fox.  
Something about him seemed oddly familiar.

"Anyway, you remember me, Chica. Now, this here is-" Chica tried to introduce the two men to each other.  
This caught Foxy's attention immediately.

"What? No! No no no no! Ye-er... Chica, you don't have to introduce little old me, don't let me get in the way of... uh... a happy reunion!" Foxy tried not to suddenly make a run for it, he needed to stay with Chica or she would probably tell him something about his secret.

Or worse... find out about their connection. The bear didn't seem to remember him, so he had a chance to get away.  
It was now or never.

Chica had never seen Foxy looking so flustered, despite his calm and sometimes rude personality.  
"Uh... Foxy? Are you okay?" She asked, concerned and confused.

That halted Foxy... kept him from doing anything.

She just said his name...  
time seemed to stop for his, as his heart skipped a beat or two.

But, even that wasn't the worst realization.

"Foxy...? Oh, yes, now I remember you."  
Still no facial expression from the bear, who just had just crossed his arms.

This surprised Chica almost as much as it surprised Foxy.  
"Wait, you two know each other?!" She gasped, trying to process all of this.

"Dammit..." Foxy cursed under his breath, now his cover was completely blown...  
All because of this chicken that knew his deepest secret...

Curses... why'd she have to know?

"Yes, as a matter of fact, me and... Foxy, were once acquainted." The bear replied, raising his head up a little and looking down at both the fox and the chicken.  
Chica was too stunned to speak.

Foxy was too upset to say anything more.

But, the bear what yet to say more.

"Allow me to re-introduce myself... My name is Francisco Fazbear, but they usually call me Freddy."

* * *

There we are... so much time put into this and suddenly, I'm done with the whole thing in less than a week.  
I'm so SO SO SO sorry for keeping you all waiting! Hopefully, the next one won't take as long!

I say that now... but, we'll have to see...

Anyway, thanks for not abandoning this story! I've still got 3 others to write that are in planning.  
I'll continue this and onto the sequel we'll go!

Thank you all so much for reviewing, favoriting, following and reading, most importantly!  
Chapter 5 should be out soon! Within this year, that I can promise!

And, as always, I'll see you all in the next chapter!  
Later!  
-RollieMcFly27


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, readers! RM27 here once more!

Well, there's still some planning to do, but I can't really seem to get a handle on this chapter and something that I have planned for the rest of the story.

Mainly speaking, the relationships.  
Actually, I'll just let you all read for yourselves.

Thank you for your ideas and suggestions, they all helped a lot!  
No time to waste! I want to get this through because I've wasted a little too much time in completing the series (Which started from "Love that never melts away" and has no name as of yet. Suggestions are welcome!)

ONWARD!  
-RollieMcFly27

"... my name is Francisco Fazbear... but, you may call me Freddy."

Those words hung in the air as Foxy's mind suddenly all drifted back to a memory he never wanted to remember... that horrible case...  
And that name... the one he tried so hard to avoid all these years, had now come back to haunt him.

Memories... memories of the case... the kid who suffered a fate worst than death by losing his entire front section of his brain and his head.  
From what he heard, it wasn't critical enough to kill him... but it left him blind and unable to have emotions or even a personality, which made Foxy feel uncomfortable.

Foxy still remembered being arrested, the police never said a word when they placed handcuffs on him and took him to the police station.  
They didn't say anything on the road over, even though he had asked what was going on or where were they taking him..

He remembered the brutal cold of the interrogation room with it's dimly lit light and dust that made it look like it hadn't been cleaned for a while.  
A policewoman had been dispatched for questioning him, a female dog with glasses, her hair in a bun and her suit looked a size too small for her.

None of which, really helped Foxy a lot because this woman was beautiful... but very intimidating and strict.  
Once the questioning was done, he was practically in the corner of his chair, if that was even possible.

At some point, Mangline she showed up... Foxy never forgot the expression on her face... But, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.  
Instead of being devastating or scared, she only seemed... stressed...

Foxy didn't know what was worse, scaring his older sister or having her not care at all...  
She might've been the only person in Foxy's life right there and then, but he didn't want to have her turn against him too/

Then, there were investigations and a few trials were held... he could remember hearing the Prosecutors yelling out their accusations and providing the evidence, which Foxy wasn't even sure how they were even remotely involved...  
When did he ever own a pair of glasses himself, let alone sunglasses? He wanted to ask, but the accused were not allowed to speak during the trial unless they were asked to.

On top of that, the lawyer seemed like an amateur... he wasn't bad, per say, he was just... crap...  
A middle aged man who looked like he was also in the middle of a mid-life crisis, didn't do enough to get through the jury or even make his presence known.

Where was the guy where you needed him...?  
Things looked grim for Foxy... a crap lawyer, suspiciously forged evidence and no witnesses...

Until, Freddy showed up... with a testimony of his own...

That memory was a little fuzzy, since Freddy was among the suspected. It was beyond Foxy how Freddy was even allowed to speak... but the judge let him take the stand.

And, somehow, he was able to pull through and get Foxy off of being one of the accused... one second, things looked bad... and the next second, things completely turned around.  
The one thing Foxy could remember was that people gasped and talked excitingly with every word Freddy said.

Eventually, the Prosecution had several whacks to break his testimony, but Freddy stood his ground and made the Prosecutor sweat from head to toe.  
It was very strange turn of events indeed... to this day, no one really knows what had happened.

There were suspects, yes, but Foxy was the accused because of evidence at the scene... now that he was off the hook, there wasn't even a case anymore...  
Foxy was in a daze at this point... what had happened in there?

Freddy walked in an patted the fox's back.  
"Have a good life, kid..." He merely said, almost with no emotion in his voice.  
The bear walked off and Foxy never saw him again..

Now, the case remained unsolved to this very day.

It wasn't just the case that Foxy hated to remember, it was mostly the publicity afterwards.  
So many people thought he really did commit murder, he just had friends in high places, like Freddy.

"What friends?" Were the only thoughts going through the mind of the once accused.

Switching back to reality, they sway of memories stopped at the fox, the chick and the bear... standing close together like something was about to go down.  
"So, what have ya been up to, Fred?" Chica's chirping voice piercing the air was the first thing Foxy heard.

Freddy only rubbed his eyes, nodding to acknowledge her question.  
"I've been fine, although your friend here doesn't seem like it." He motioned towards the fox, who looked like he was going to pass out at any given moment.  
Chica looked on in worry, he looked so... scared... lost.  
"F-Foxy, are you okay? Oh, gosh, your face is so-"

"I'm fine!" Foxy interrupted, almost a little too loudly.  
He cleared his throat, embarrassed by his sudden outburst... he secretly hoped he would die right there and then.

"Are you sure? You look horrible..." Chica wasn't convinced at all, placing her hands on either side of his head and looking into his bright gold eyes to see if he was telling the truth.  
For a second there, she felt like she was about to lose herself in them, but looked away before that could even happen.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, have you finished your reunion? Good! We're leaving!" Foxy said quickly, grabbing Chica's right hand and pulling her right past Freddy.

"F-Foxy! Wait! Freddy! Don't move, I'll be right with ya!" Chica exclaimed, to which Freddy nodded in return, before she attempted to pull her arm out and slid her feet across the pavement to keep Foxy from going anywhere.

"Foxy! Ugh! Come on!" She grumbled, with her free hand, she tried to get him to lose his grip... once that failed, she almost threatened to slap Foxy for his arrogance.

"Chica, we have to go-"  
"No, we don't! Come on, Foxy, I haven't seen Freddy in forever, please! Can I just catch up with him? Please?" Chica pleaded onto him, trying her best to look like some innocent girl that really needed to do this.  
But, she was only met with a curious reaction from him... one that seemed to wonder what the hell she was doing...

The wind blew among them as they stood there, Chica's hand extended out with Foxy holding it, she had her legs positioned in case he tried any further action to leave.

Foxy examined her face, thinking carefully about what she wanted and what he needed... He looked at Freddy, who stood close by, watching them... if he felt uncomfortable at witnessing this awkward sight, he didn't show it.

Then, looked back at Chica, who now put her other hand on his own... still going on with the pleading eyes..

Foxy rolled his eyes and sighed... she wasn't going to budge was she?  
"Okay-" He barely got to say, but before he could finish, Chica instantly turned around and shouted back at the bear.

"Hey, let's go grab a bite to eat, Fred! Whaddya, think?!" She had managed to slip her hand out of his grip and formed a megaphone so Freddy could hear her.  
Foxy face-palmed... he did not see this coming at all... "Oy vey..." He groaned.

Freddy pondered on this for a minute before thinking.  
"We can, Chica, I'll pay for it." He replied, nodding in return.

Oh, great! It was bad enough that he was still within Freddy's sights, but now he was going to have DINNER with him... all because of this girl... Foxy couldn't have asked any better right in that moment for someone else, anyone else, to have found out his secret other than this chick. What did he do to deserve this...?

... okay, maybe he might've done a few things to get this, but right now, he was sorry for them!  
"Okay! Come on, Foxy, Let's go!" Chica winked, giggling slightly.

Foxy only nodded and followed recluntly.  
This girl was going to kill him... and he knew it... things couldn't get any worse, could they?

Why him...?

Great, great, great! Foxy's only thoughts running through his head... he honestly wanted to be anywhere else, but here...  
It wasn't bad enough that he had to have dinner with Freddy, but they all went together to a place... with a familiar name...

"Fazbear's Diner?" Chica questioned excitingly, gasping and placing both hands on the window.

"Indeed... I own the restaurant." Freddy replied, pulling into a parking spot and turning off the engine.  
Foxy moved back to his seat and closing his eyes, he tried to keep from snapping... things got worse for him... he felt so frustrated, but he couldn't do anything about it, this girl still knew his one secret and he couldn't afford to let her out of his sight or she might tell Freddy!

"... Foxy?" Came a quiet voice that cleared all thoughts and emotions...

The said fox opened his eyes and turned to see Chica, who was out of the car, but leaned in to check on Foxy.  
"Yes, Lass?" He replied, strangely calm... even for him.

"Are ya doing... okay?" She asked for the second time that same hour, with eyes showing a look of concern that said she genuinely cared about him.  
But, would Foxy dare say what he was feeling and tell her why he so despised this man? Or would he just cover it up?

It took a second to decide neither as he just turned his attention away from the chicken and went out the door, closing it as he did, he walked around the car... his eyes never really meeting hers.

"Come... come on, Lass. Let's go inside.." He merely said with a tired smile.  
Sure, he didn't want to go inside or even be with Fazbear... but there was something within the girl that seemed to assure him that everything would be alright, as long as she was here with him.

"Okay... if you say so.." Chica replied, wearing a confused look on her face, seeing Foxy dodged her question out of nowhere... but he looked to be okay by the way he was acting now.

They both walked into Fazbear's Diner together, awaiting for what would meet them.  
One gulped and the other looked on in awe... you could already guess who was who...

Upon entering, Chica's grin grew ever so much. Once they opened the door, a small sound of dings and dongs rang throughout the entire Diner, letting everyone present in side that there were people arriving.

The place was modeled to look like an old establishment... which instantly made Chica feel at home, there were candles in several places, enough to light the entire restaurant.

"Hi, welcome to Fazbear's Diner." Said a person at the cash register, an green alligator who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but working there. He was dressed in a white dress shirt with a green sweater vest over that and a bow tie to match. So far, the man just rested his elbow on the bar counter, bored.

"H-Hey there!" Chica raised a hand and waved weakly, she tried not to seem nervous at the sudden greeting.  
Foxy, on the other hand, just put his hands in his pockets and looked around to make sure Fazbear wasn't close by... and he was relieved to find out he wasn't.

"Just take a seat anywhere..." The alligator continued, checking his phone instead.

"Okay... Thanks!" Chica said, as politely as she could, before looking around and finding an empty table for 4.  
She lead Foxy, who was still keeping an eye out, to it and they both sat down, awaiting the bear.

Chica put her bag down and tapped her fingers on the table, covered with a checker patterned table cloth, looking around the diner once more... she took in everything that she saw. Foxy had one arm around his chair and he looked around, careful to make sure nothing happened to them... he didn't really trust this seedy-looking place.

A woman emerged from the kitchen, a cat, wearing the same thing the alligator wore, only her vest was velvet and blue, she didn't wear a bow tie. "Hi, I hope you're having a wonderful day! May I take your order?" She spoke, cheerfully, as she pulled out a notepad and pen ready.

Chica examined the woman.  
She had gray fur, striking aqua eyes hidden behind glasses, a bright smile and an adorable bow Chica thought looked so cute on her.  
"Hello! Um... we'll just take a looksie at the menu!" Chica blushed and chuckled nervously, forgetting about looking at the menu completely.

"Sure, sure! Take your time!" The cat replied happily in return, waiting on both Fox and Chicken.

"I'll take the steak." Foxy stated, almost grim, holding the menu in one hand.  
This seemed to surprise the woman, who quickly tried to take notes of what he ordered, but she also looked like she was trying not to stare at the man either.

"O-Okay, anything else? Any-Any drinks?" She suddenly seemed to fidget a bit as she tried to attain her happy-go-lucky self again.  
Chica noticed this, but tried not to mouth it to Foxy.

"I'll take... the Ravioli special," She placed her order with concern, trying not to stare at the waitress, who looked like she was about to break down... was she scared or nervous, Chica couldn't tell.

"Okay! Ravioli! Good! Drinks?" The waitress kept trying, although it was already becoming increasingly obvious that she wasn't alright.

Foxy and Chica pondered on this for a moment, exchanging glances before speaking.  
"I'll have your Root Beer." Foxy dismissed, holding out his menu so the waitress could take it, but she only softly gasped at the menu and thought for a bit before taking it.

'This poor girl's about to snap...' Chica thought.  
She had to do something.

"Hey, Miss. Can you tell me what kind of..." Chica quickly scanned across the menu for something she didn't recognize, which was pretty easy. "... drink these are?"

The waitress walked over to see where the chick was pointing.  
"Hmm, oh, those? Yeah, those are specialty drinks made by Mr. Francisco Fazbear himself. If you'd like, first drink is free! It's an old tradition of the diner." She was back to her old happy self, which made Chica silently let out a breath of relief.

"Okay, I'll take one!" Chica smiled cheerfully and handed her menu to the waitress, although she glanced at Foxy for a minute, who looked like he was occupied with something else, which made Chica feel more comfortable.

"Alright! I'll bring you your drinks! But, I'd like to know one thing first..." The waitress trailed off, scribbling in her little notepad, this caught both Foxy and Chica's attentions.

"I'd like to know who's tabs these will be on... or who's paying?" She looked up and eyed both Fox and Chicken, hoping to get answer.

Then, one did come... and it came in the form of a booming deep voice.

"That would be me."  
Mr. Freddy Fazbear came walking in, from where, no one knew.

Instantly, the atmosphere of the diner quickly changed... What was, at first, a relaxing tone and someplace where you could be and just let your worries die away... suddenly became sharp and straight.  
Like a soldier assuming a perfect posture for his superiors, that was how the change became, the waitress and the cashier became deathly silent, like their lives depended on it, even Foxy was quiet.

"M-M-Mr. Fazbear! I didn't see you..." The waitress began, her fidgeting self returning to full view, she stared at her poking fingers and tapped her foot against the ground.

"Hmm. Have you taken their orders?" Freddy just towered over her, if he noticed how nervous his employee was, he didn't show it.  
The waitress lip quivered a little and tears started to form into her eyes...

Chica felt bad for the girl, so she spoke up.  
"Yes, Fred, she just did." She tried to sound convincing, which made the girl stop fidgeting for a bit.

Freddy turned to Chica and Foxy, eyeing both of them before speaking with the waitress once more.  
"Alright. Go on and take them to the chefs, I'll have the Hibernation special." Freddy spoke as he pulled his chair out and sat down.

"Y-Yes, Sir! Coming right up!" The girl bowed in respect and hurriedly walked towards the kitchen.  
Chica watched and her brows furrowed down... this girl honestly could not have gotten a better job that wasn't so stressful couldn't she..?

"Hello, Foxy. It is a pleasure to meet you at last, after all these years." Freddy stated, curling his hands together, but bearing no emotion on his face.

"The pleasure's all mine..." Foxy silently spat, not silent enough for Chica to hear it.  
She turned her attention to him, wearing an annoyed expression, like a mother to a child.

"Foxy, be nice..."

* * *

Alright, so the dinner went fine... Foxy thought grimly as he walked Chica back to her apartment.

Really shouldn't make promises I can't keep... but, I've kept this one. I'll finish soon. This will be the only time this happens.  
-RollieMcFly27


	6. Chapter 5 (Part 2)

Hey once more, readers, RM27 has returned after over an entire year of not being able to write.

Don't worry, I'm still alive, I'm still going to finish this series.  
But, it's just... I've been going through so much and I really wanted to keep writing this, but I just couldn't do it..

Still, I found the inspiration to keep going!

I kept writing the last chapter and I was almost done... except.. I lost my USB with all my documents..  
Not going to let that keep me down! I'll just write it out as a "Part 2" of the last chapter (since I can't really just copy it off of Fanfiction. Their security's pretty good, I've got to hand it to them.)

As always.. Onward!  
-RollieMcFly27

(Part 2, the only time this will happen, promise.)

* * *

His eyes couldn't have been deceived.. could they?

That fox.. from across the street.. It really was him.  
The man across the street from the diner watched the fox, and two others he could care less about, go into the restaurant.

He stood at a gas station, in front of the convinience store, with his old stylish purple car..  
Everything about this man was purple, from the dark violet shoes to his dress shirt.. while his hair was black, one could swear they could see traces of purple within the dark color.

This man's name was Vincent Afton.. Mr. Afton as people most often called him.

That Fox.. was the one responsible for ruining his life.  
For years, Mr. Afton had tracked down Foxy.. from every nook and cranny of the world, but always seemed to miss him somewhere..

His shocked expression soon turned from surprise to one most sinister.. The grin of his face was enough to tell that the dark thoughts of his mind were swirling with glee..  
"Finally.. after all this time.. I've finally found you.." His voice was cold and shady.. it could send chills up and down anyone's spine..

Mr. Afton chuckled and continued to stare at the double doors that the fox walked into, disappearing into the building within.  
He could hardly contain his excitement, his mission was finally coming to an end..

"Father.. I'm back." A voice came from behind Mr. Afton.. this one was almost like his, cold and shady, but with a hint of warmth and friendliness..

Mr. Afton turned around to a rabbit.. one with moss green fur that looked tattered and torn..  
He wore a green sweater and jeans along with a pair of glasses.. his clothes were casual, unlike his father.

Yes, this was Mr. Afton's son.. Spring..

"Ah, Spring.. back so soon?" The man replied to the rabbit with a voice that was filtered with a mock warmth.. but still sounded cold.

Spring looked at his father, knowing very well that he was up to his usual antics once more.  
"Yes, father.. I said I wasn't going to be gone long." He replied, giving Mr. Afton a burrito and opening the map of the town he held in his other hand.

Spring had been traveling with his father for many years, they never stayed in one place for too long before heading off to another town in another place.. Spring was always in charge of looking through maps to have a general idea of the area.

* * *

Things like this constantly reminded Spring of how it all began..  
Even just looking at his father.. or the man that was suppose to be his father..

A lot of things were just so simple when he was a kid, it felt like ages ago when he could just laugh and have fun.  
He and his father, Mr. Afton, lived with his Uncle's family after his mom died at childbirth..

It had devastated his dad.. to the point where he almost gave Spring up for adoption, because the baby rabbit reminded him too much of his late wife.  
But he found the strength to keep going once his uncle welcomed them in.. His uncle had been through the same thing, so the two men were able to encourage and find strength within each other as brothers.

They weren't brothers by blood, but rather, by bond.  
Spring had grown accustomed to calling his father's old and best childhood friend his uncle, and treated him like so.

The family had welcomed them all in, brought them to their spare rooms and helped him settle in.

Spring remembered living in the same room with his cousin, and how they became almost like brothers themselves.  
And with his cousin's sister, they were a trio.. the best of friends.  
The days from beyond that point were filled with joy and happiness.. there was always something new to look forward to everyday..

But, his fondest memory was the one Christmas they spent together..  
He remembered his cousin waking him up, also remembering them running to the living room to see his father, dress clad in a Santa Claus costume.

Mr. Afton was a very large jolly man, which was hard to tell from all that he had been through.. He played Santa so well.  
They each took a turn sitting on his lap, telling "Santa" what they wanted.. But, Spring knew it was only his dad in a costume.. and he played along, knowing his dad was doing it just for them.

Once his uncle came in with two cups of coffee, the whole group had now gathered together.. Christmas music was flowing through the air, smiles were on everyone's faces..

The two brothers went into the kitchen and made a whole lot of pancakes for him and his cousins.  
It was the greatest time of their lives, it felt like a dream that rode on waves upon waves of laughter and grins.

Back then.. it felt like the happy times would last forever..

Yet, that all changed in one night.

His uncle killed himself, in his very office late one night.. a suicide note was never found.  
From that day forward.. Mr. Afton changed.. something inside of him snapped.

Gone, was the large jolly man.. Mr. Afton started to starve himself, working endlessly and obbsessively to figure out what caused his death.. there had to be some sort of explanation.  
There held a trial, because Foxy's prints were found on the desk as well as the body and gun.

The young fox was a client.. they decided against putting him on trial because he was just a kid, but the charge was serious.  
Week after week passed.. in the end, there wasn't any motive for Foxy to murder his own father.

Then, when that blasted attorney or witness came in, he just had to make a valid point that Foxy was scared and picked up the gun, curious about what it was, as well as there being no fingerprint on the trigger.  
To the eyes of Mr. Afton.. they let a killer go free, Foxy had to be guilty, he just had to be.  
That was where the obsession started..

To him, he died because of the boy, there was no suicide note or indication that it was a suicide.  
There couldn't have been any other way.. none at all.

Foxy was then moved into a foster home along with his older sister.. Mr. Afton wasn't about to let a killer get away so easily..

He sold the house, quit his job and packed all he could in the van, taking his son with him.

* * *

That's what brought them to today.  
Here they were, at a gas station.. In a place Spring didn't even bother to remember to learn, every single town that they had gone was all basically the same.. they weren't going to stay in it for too long.

So, why bother remembering? They had been in every single town and city in the entire nation and he didn't even know how to pronounce half of them.

Here he was, writing down spots to eat, spots to stay in and even roads to make quick getaways if the police caught on and began to chase them, Spring remembered those all too well.. His father even made him the driver a few times.

As of now, he and his father were wanted in 20 states at least..

"So, boy.. how old are you again?" Mr. Afton spoke up, startling the rabbit.  
He slowly looked up to face his father, trying to read his face.. why would he even ask that?

As far as Spring knew, they never celebrated his birthday even once.. So, why now?  
"Why do you ask, father?" Spring simply replied.

"Oh, well.." Mr. Afton trailed off and looked towards the diner where he had seen the fox go in.. yes, it had to be him, no doubt.. But, if he had finally found him after all these years, that meant they didn't have to move.

He turned back to face his son, who had gone back to writing notes and plans on the map.. Good boy, I've taught you well, he thought.  
"Because, son, I've been thinking.. this town ain't half bad, we can stay here," Vincent inquired.

Spring stopped what he was doing.. His father never called him "Son" unless he was being serious.. gravely serious to the point where he made up his mind.  
Stay? Here? Why here out of all the places they could've stayed? Why-

His thoughts were cut off when his father spoke once more.  
"Look for a college on the map, son.. I think it's high time you began to make somethin' of yourself," Mr. Afton smiled at the rabbit, patting his back.

Spring was stunned.. when was the last time he had seen his father look so... happy? Patting him on the back? Calling him "Son" more than once in the same hour? Smiling?!

That was only what he felt on the inside.. on the outside, he simply cleared his throat.  
"Yes, Father" was his only reply.

"Good boy" Mr. Afton said, walking towards the driver's seat of the car, even whistling a tune.

Spring could only wonder what came over his father.. why here? Why now?  
So many questions, yet he wouldn't dare to question his father..

Like always, he'd have to simply go with it, whether he liked it or not.  
Looking back at the map, Spring scanned it until he found the University. He grabbed a pen and circled it, making a note to look up more information online.

Where were they headed now?

Spring got into the passenger side of the car and shut the door.

What was in store for them now?

Mr. Afton turned on the engine and drove out of there.

Why here?

* * *

The dinner went along fine for Foxy and Chica.. Freddy had just dropped them off at their apartment building.  
Chica was skipping and whistling a happy tune she remembered from somewhere, but was too happy to even bother recognizing it.

Foxy walked behind her, hands in pockets, studying the chick happily frolic.  
"What are ye so happy about, lass?" He asked, not sure if he was annoyed or relieved.

Chica stopped what she was doing and turned around to face the fox with a curious look on her face.  
"What do ya mean, Foxy? I got to see an old friend after a long time. Ain't no harm done in having a little get-together with him" she simply replied and continued to skip and whistle.

Foxy sighed.. sometimes this girl was too much.. he mentally face-palmed himself for the 90th time that evening..

Scott help him.. what did he do to deserve her to know his secret? He couldn't exactly trust her just yet, not with the way she babbled her mouth sometimes.. even if it was by accident.

He shook his head and picked up the speed to catch up with the happy chick.

Soon, they arrived at the apartment building, Chica was still in a happy mood as she went up the flight of stairs with a tired fox walking right behind her.  
Foxy walked Chica to her apartment, she thanked him for being a gentleman and escort her all the way to her room. Foxy was about to ask if they could have dinner together until his phone vibrated..

It was Mangline, asking where he was and that it was late. He really could've cared less..

"Who's that?" Chica asked.

Foxy quickly put away the phone and replied with a quick, "No one, just an e-mail," before Chica got into his business any further.  
It was already enough for her to find out that he and Freddy knew each other, having her meet Mangline was the last thing he needed right now.

"Well.. if ya say so.. Thanks again fer walking me home, Foxy, I really appreciate it," Chica said, with a smile.

Foxy nearly blushed at her smile, which looked cute to him, but he merely brushed it off.. looking away.  
"Whatever... Chica. T'were nothin'.." He replied, trying to keep his gaze off of her.

They stood like tht for a while, Foxy was secretly waiting for her to invite him inside for some more home-cooked dinner so he could have an excuse for being out late and completely missed out on whatever garbage Mangline brought home.  
Chica, on the other hand, didn't do that or even think about doing that.. she waited for Foxy to leave for his apartment, wondering why he was still standing there.

Deciding that it was starting to get awkward, Chica slowly started to close the door.  
"Well.. good night, Foxy. See ya tomorrow," She sheepishly stated.

"Mmm.. night" Foxy mumbled.

When the door was closed, Foxy was left in the darkness, the only light being was the last few rays of the sun, the street light and some of the lights outside the apartments.  
He was disappointed when Chica didn't invite him for dinner.. he groaned and made his way towards the second flight of stairs to his apartment.

* * *

301... 302.. 303.. 304.. 305, there it is.

Foxy reached into his pockets and fished out his apartment key, bracing himself for whatever dinner Mangline brought home.  
To his surprise, he walked in to a smell of delicious, home-cooked food.. He considered thinking he might've walked into Chica's apartment by accident, but his mind told him he didn't have a key to Chica's apartment.

So, if this wasn't her apartment.. then that meant..

He hurried towards the kitchen area, finding Mangline in a pink apron in front of the stove.  
"Hey, sport. You're a little late, aren't you? I thought your last class ended two hours ago," was all the female fox said, not even turning to face her little brother.

Foxy ignored the question and walked up towards her, looking what was in the stove.  
"What'cha cooking, sis?" He asked, curious.

"Oh, I made a stop by a client's place. They gave me some leftover food and insisted I take it with me, so.. I'm heating it up. You hungry?"

The crimson fox nodded and moved to set the table.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question, bud." Mangline started again, this time, actually turning to face him.

"What question?" Foxy inquired, hoping she wouldn't ask again.. he hated having to lie to his older sister, but he wasn't going to let her know that he was late because of Chica or that he bumped into Freddy.

At least.. not yet.

Mangline placed her hands on her hips, studying her younger brother for a moment.  
"Don't play dumb with me, Foxy, you know exactly what. I was asking you why you were gone so late."

Damn it, Foxy thought in his mind.. so much for that plan.

"Nothin', I just needed some time to relax.. get some fresh air," He stated.. in a way, that was partly true.. It wasn't technically lying if you were telling them what you were going to do.

The white and pink vixen looked at the crimson fox for a minute, trying to read his emotions and see if he was telling the truth.

Could she tell?

"Alright.. I guess you got a point. Things like college can be stressful sometimes.. did you get any rest?"

In class? Yes, a lot of it. Outside? Scott, no.. He wouldn't be able to sleep with Freddy within 25 feet of his location..  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that, Mangline," He replied, sitting down at the table.

He rested his head on his hand, looking towards the window..

It was hard to imagine that it was barely this morning that he had gone out there and down the fire escape to see Chica.. He wondered what she could be doing right now, one floor below them..  
Shaking those thoughts off of his mind, Foxy then tried to think of other things to keep his mind busy..

Why was Freddy here? Foxy got an odd feeling that the bear being here meant that something bad was going to happen.  
The fox never really was a person to think about things like that.. if it was true, fine, he'd believe in it.

But, so far in his life, he had his gut feeling to tell him the right direction of where to go and any danger to look out for..  
All he was, was scared, confused and lonely..

Actually, no, scratch off the lonely.. he was fine, he didn't need any friends.  
And Chica was definitely not a friend of his.. just a girl that knew his secret.. nothing more, nothing less.

But, still.. it was nice to have someone to talk to.

* * *

Chica put her clothes away, leaving only short shorts and a tank top.  
She began digging through the fridge to pull out some dinner.

It was a happy day, meeting Freddy again after so long.. The question of why Foxy and Freddy knew each other still lingered in her curious mind.

Maybe they used to be best friends.. childhood friends who lost their way and each other years ago.. no, that couldn't be right.. Foxy seemed like he was scared of Freddy and Freddy didn't seem like a popular, social type.

Crossing that out, Chica got out a can of soup and a couple of slices of homemade pizza her mother left.. Yay! She thought happily.  
Going back to her thoughts as she got a pot to heat up the soup and put the pizzas in the oven.. Chica wondered if they were related somehow.. or even.. ugh..

She didn't even want to go that far.. she decided maybe it was better to ask either one later on, if they ever decided to tell her..

Maybe it wasn't her business to intrude..  
Chica frowned, thinking she might never get to find out.. she sighed and watched the soup bubble in the small pot.

She looked up, guessing that Foxy was already home.. Did he live alone? She wondered.. maybe that's why he came by this morning.. he doesn't know how to cook.  
Either way, Chica decided she'd be happy to cook for the fox, even if he got on her nerves sometimes, she liked to consider him a friend..

He was rough and rusty on the outside.. but Chica wondered if he was really only hiding that from everyone..

Then, again.. if he was, why would he hide it from everyone?

Ugh, her head hurt with all the thinking and unanswered questions.. Chica grabbed both sides of her head and brought her senses together.  
She'd find out tomorrow, she thought..

Checking the schedule, she saw that there wasn't any classes tomorrow.. maybe they could go out and have some fun.. or maybe she could call up Marion and ask her to come over or see if they could go out for a bite to eat.  
Speaking of which, she checked her phone to see if Marion had called or texted.. nothing so far..

She was a little disappointed, but maybe she'd find her tomorrow instead!  
Smiling once more, Chica moved the soup off the stove and poured it into a bowl, while taking out the pizza as well.

Tomorrow could be a good day, she thought as she smiled at the aroma of wonderful food..

Chica sat down, did a short prayer and dug in.

In the little kitchen, the only light on in the entire apartment was the oven lamp.  
The chick stuffed her face, drowning in all the deliciousness..

She missed her family.. wondering how they were and what they were doing..

At the very least, she knew they were thinking about her and were proud of her for being the first in her generation to pursue a higher education.  
The thought of them made her smile.. maybe she could give them a call one of these days.. and thank her mother for the Mr. Cupcake..

Speaking of her mother, Chica wondered, what would she think of Foxy?  
The chick smiled, knowing her mother probably wouldn't approve of a boy with no manners and bad behavior.

Chica was just glad she wasn't dating him, there's no way she would.. he'd be the last person she would ever, in the entire world, ever date.. Sure, he was handsome, cute and rugged with the way he was.. but, she wasn't going to excuse his attitude problem just because of that, she had standards too.

She continued to eat in her kitchen, thinking of the fox in the room above.

Nope, definitely the last one she'd ever date.. never in a million years.

* * *

Here we are. After over a year, it's finally here!

It took a lot just to get back, I had to leave.. I had set the standards for this chapter way too high.. so high, it was pressuring for me to write even 100 words..  
Somehow, it just had to be perfect.. I guess I shouldn't have thought that way.

I'm okay, everyone, nothing's happened to me.. I just needed time to myself to reflect and change. I needed time to mature and get ahold of my emotions.  
Now, I was reading this story only yesterday.. I was scared to read it and see how horrible I was writing..

But, that never happened.. I was enjoying myself, laughing at the jokes and really just enjoying some time reading the story for the first time in a while..  
It dawned on me.. I never needed to be better.. I just needed to be myself, I was already a great writer on my own, I just had to realize that and just write.

Sure, I need to improve my writing, but it's good right now, just the way it is. I'm sure most of you can agree on that.

Before you all say anything, no this story is not dead, neither are the other ones I had planned out!  
I'm keeping my promises here, I never let go of what I started!

Now, I'm ending it. All of them will be out.

"As the leaves turn.."

"What the heart desires.."

"Golden Melodies"

"Not finished yet; another story"

All of them will be finished in due time.  
I thank you all so much for waiting for me.. and for never giving up on me. I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm back.  
I'll try to work out a schedule that won't be so harsh and pressuring, but also to where I can have some spare time to work on it!

Until then.. see you in the next chapter.

Thank you all so much for reading, liking, commenting and following.. and for reading, most of all. I really appreciate that you took your time to read this little gem.

As always..  
-RollieMcFly27


End file.
